Malaysia, Recently, the number of Nepalis entering Malaysia to work under the name of visit visas has been increasing significantly. While the system for bringing workers through the legal process is sluggish, agents and broker groups have intensified the process of bringing Nepali young women to Malaysia on visit visas by showing the lure of ‘reaching abroad in a short time’ and ‘excellent remuneration’ through social media.
Nepalis, especially those who come to Malaysia through third countries in search of work, are entering the country in violation of immigration policies, which is creating additional challenges to Malaysia’s security and social structure.
While most of the Nepalis who enter Malaysia under the pretext of visit visas have faced legal complications and some have returned home, a large number of Nepali women have been found working as restaurant workers and domestic workers. It has been found that they are ‘overstaying’ and residing illegally.
The Malaysian Immigration Department has intensified its efforts in recent days to turn back such foreign nationals from the airport, conduct special surveillance campaigns (RAIDs), and fine, jail and deport those who violate the Immigration Act. However, Nepali agents have not stopped using various channels to bring Nepalis to Malaysia.
Despite the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia claiming that it is conducting an awareness campaign that it is appropriate and safe to go abroad only by following legal procedures, there has been no decrease in the number of workers arriving in Malaysia. According to an embassy source, “Working on a visit visa is not allowed. Such an attempt is not only illegal, but can also lead to serious problems in the long run.”
The embassy has been calling on all stakeholders in the Nepali community, social organizations, journalists, intellectuals and leaders, to work together to spread awareness.
After media outlets including Janasawal Daily published the news on Wednesday, Malaysian police have arrested 23 people from Malaysia, including an agent named Manoj Chantyal, who advertised to take them to Malaysia on online settings. Police sources said that they were arrested along with 17,600 US dollars. However, the group of agents managed to free agent Chantyal after spending 90,000 ringgit. Although the agent was released, 23 of the arrested people are still in the custody of the Malaysian police. According to analysts, the misuse of visit visas and illegal Nepalese workers have increased the risk of tarnishing the international image of Nepali workers. In the long run, they say, this is likely to tighten the policies of countries that send workers from Nepal and reduce opportunities. It seems that the concerned agencies need to pay immediate attention to this. In such a situation, the Nepali Embassy should take immediate action, say representatives of organizations in Malaysia.
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