Malaysia's Immigration Department reported a rising trend of foreigners misusing social visit passes and tourist visas to work or engage in economic activities, violating immigration laws. Arrests related to this misuse rose sharply from 1,279 in 2023 to 2,644 in 2024, then slightly decreased to 2,630 in 2025, with 451 arrests recorded as of July 15, 2026. Overall, 7,105 enforcement operations were conducted, detaining 41,596 foreigners for various offences by mid-July 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, the Immigration Director-General, said, "We will not compromise and will continue to pursue those who repeatedly misuse these passes." He added, "If we look at the records since 2023, we will find a significant increase in arrests. This means they enter on social visit or tourist passes but work or engage in economic activities, violating the Immigration Act." He emphasized that authorities will no longer tolerate regulation misuse [1, 2, 4].
The department also took action against 1,127 employers who sheltered or employed foreigners without valid permits. Malaysian authorities stressed plans to intensify enforcement measures to curb illegal foreign business practices involving visa misuse, proxy arrangements, and rent-seeking [5, 1, 2, 3].
As part of immigration controls, 275,755 foreign participants took part in the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 by July 15, 2026, generating RM137.76 million in government revenue. Meanwhile, the rollout of the new Malaysian International Passport began on July 1, and 63,475 new passports were issued by mid-July across multiple offices in the third phase of the program [1, 2, 3, 4].
Separately, the Dewan Rakyat passed amendments to the Witness Protection Act 2009 on July 14. The changes allow termination of protection for participants who refuse relocation or engage in criminal acts like drug abuse. Deputy Minister M. Kulasegaran noted, "The deliberate breach of an agreement's terms will be an additional ground to recommend terminating protection for witness protection programme participants." The Witness Protection Division will also create permanent in-house psychologist roles to provide direct mental health support. Kulasegaran clarified that psychologists "are not intended to coach or instruct participants on how to answer questions while giving evidence in court" [6, 7].
Investigations into the Network School in Forest City are ongoing over allegations of Israeli nationals' involvement [5].
The debate on the Witness Protection (Amendment) Bill 2026 concluded in the Dewan Negara on July 22, 2026, confirming parliamentary approval of the legislative changes [6, 7].
