They are allowed to return to their home countries without facing legal action and will only be fined for certain offences under the Immigration Act, said home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

“As of noon today, a total of 848 undocumented migrants have registered to join the migrant repatriation programme,” he said at a press conference, Bernama reported.

Saifuddin reminded foreign nationals not to seek the services of agents but to come to the immigration office themselves to register and conduct any transaction.

“Do not use any agent services. Forget it. The government will not entertain any requests from them (agents) or third parties,” he said.

A separate programme provides an opportunity for foreigners who have overstayed or do not have valid permits to meet the manpower needs of critical sectors.

However, the migrant repatriation programme is aimed at allowing undocumented foreign workers to return to their home countries voluntarily.

Saifuddin said there will be no more entry of formal foreign workers from the active quota allowed starting June 1. The remaining quota not issued by March 31 will be cancelled and levy payments for that quota would be refunded to the employers, he added.

Saifuddin said the government would implement a more employer-friendly levy refund policy, which also comes into effect today. The improvements include reducing the processing time for levy refunds.