CYBERJAYA, July 21 — The Immigration Department (JIM) has stepped up enforcement operations following a rise in the misuse of Social Visit Passes (SVPs) by foreign nationals, its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said.

He said Immigration records showed 1,279 arrests for SVP-related offences in 2023, rising to 2,644 in 2024 before easing slightly to 2,630 in 2025.

As of July 15 this year, he said, 451 arrests had been made for foreigners found working while holding SVPs, an offence under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963 and one of the most common immigration violations in Malaysia.

"We will not compromise. We will continue pursuing those who abuse their immigration passes, particularly individuals who commit offences involving the misuse of these passes,” he told reporters after the 2026 Immigration Day celebration, themed ‘Charting a New Face of Immigration’, graced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Also present were Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

Prior to this, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said strict enforcement action should be taken against foreign nationals who misuse the SVPs or visa exemptions to work in Malaysia.

On the new version of the Malaysian International Passport, Zakaria said 63,475 passports had been issued since its rollout began on July 1.

He said the implementation had entered its third phase, with several passport issuing offices nationwide now issuing the new passport to applicants.

Meanwhile, the government's Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 continues to receive a strong response, with 275,755 foreign nationals from 114 countries participating as of July 15, generating RM137.76 million in revenue for the government, he added. — Bernama