At Seremban immigration counters, surge in migrant workers from Klang Valley joining repatriation programme to spend Eid at home

 

Migrant workers on their day off outside the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Many foreign workers in the Klang Valley have been heading to the Seremban Immigration office to take part in the Repatriation Programme ahead of Aidilfitri in order to celebrate Aidilfitri with their family at home. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

SEREMBAN, March 14 — A large number of foreign workers from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have been travelling here these past few days to take part in the Migrant Repatriation Programme (PRM) 2.0 so they can celebrate Aidilfitri at home.

The immigration office in Seremban limits daily service to 150 applicants, though demand has exceeded this in recent weeks, including walk-ins from other states, Harian Metro reported today.

“As we expected, many foreign workers, especially from Indonesia and Bangladesh, will take this opportunity to return home for Aidilfitri. 

“We have seen an increase in the number of people coming to the office since early February, and it has grown even more over the past two weeks,” Negeri Sembilan Immigration Director Kennith Tan Ai Kiang was quoted as saying.

“However, over the past two weeks we have received up to 180 walk-in clients joining the PRM, and our staff have had to work until 10pm,” he added.

Queues have been forming as early as 6am outside the Seremban Immigration Department office, which opens at 8am. 

One Bangladeshi worker, who works in the construction sector, told the Malay newspaper that he travelled from Selayang in Selangor and arrived at the Seremban Immigration office around 6am to participate in the programme.

He added he had issues with his work pass and saw the programme as an opportunity to return to Bangladesh for Aidilfitri.

PRM 1.0 ran from March 2024 to March 2025, while PRM 2.0 is from May 2025 to April 2026. 

The programme allows foreign workers with issues such as missing passes or overstaying to return voluntarily to their home countries without prosecution, subject to certain conditions.

Applicants must hold a valid passport and a travel ticket within 14 days from their PRM application.

Those who violate the conditions will be fined, Tan said. - malaymail