Malaysia rejects extension for foreign worker entry deadline amid surge

Based on the recent trend, the projected number of migrant workers in the country will exceed 2.6 million by the end of this year, surpassing the target of 2.5 million set by the country’s Economic Planning Unit, CNA quoted the minister as saying on Tuesday.

The influx of migrant workers has met the demand for foreign manpower in the manufacturing, construction and service sectors, Saifuddin explained.

The deadline was established earlier this year in response to the unraveling of the criminal market for Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia, according to the South China Morning Post.

Nearly 17,000 Bangladeshi workers missed the deadline and is now unable to enter Malaysia despite having valid visas, Asia News Network reported.

Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury, Bangladesh’s state minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, has requested that the Malaysian government reconsider the deadline and accept these workers, as reported by state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.