Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said should these employers fail to comply with the regulation, the workers will be sent home immediately.

He said the employers are responsible for managing the documentation of the workers and verifying that they are the employers concerned, Bernama reported.

He pointed out that the immigration department’s regulations give employers six hours to receive their foreign workers at KLIA, adding that in certain circumstances, that period will be extended.

The foreign workers will not be released until the actual employer, as in the application, arrives at KLIA to receive them. This regulation is to ensure that all foreign workers have legitimate employers.

“Employers’ failure to comply with this rule will result in the foreign workers being given a ‘Not to Land’ (NTL) notice and they will be sent home on the next flight to their country of origin,” he said in response to allegations related to the entry of foreign workers at KLIA on social media.

A post on Facebook had questioned the action of sending back foreign workers who were not picked up after six hours, and alleged that the department did not want to take responsibility in the event of a delay.

According to Khairul, the immigration department had managed the entry of 98,079 new foreign workers from April 1 to Sept 26 since the reopening of international borders.