Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the government must first know the actual number of foreign workers required by the country.
To get this figure, the government must wait for the completion of the rehiring programme in December.
“It’s still too early to gauge the ongoing rehiring programme. Through this programme, eligible illegal foreign migrants will be given a work permit while the ineligible ones will be repatriated through the 3+1 programme.
“After we know the number of foreign workers required, then we can decide on whether to bring in more.”
He said this in the Dewan Negara today, in reply to a supplementary question from Senator Mohd Salim Sharif @ Mohd Sharif on the effectiveness of the foreign migrants’ legalising programme undertaken by the government and the number of illegals repatriated.
The programme of rehiring illegals, from Feb 15 until December this year, is to give opportunity to illegal migrants working in Malaysia to obtain a work permit for employment in the sectors permitted to hire them.
Nur Jazlan said so far 40,374 illegals had been repatriated.
– BERNAMA