Refugees with UNHCR cards need permits to work, warns immigration dept
Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban says only two exemptions were given to these refugees — not possessing valid travel documents or passes, and overstaying.
Myanmar refugees with UNHCR cards are still subject to Malaysian immigration laws, according to the country's immigration director-general, Zakaria Shaaban. Shaaban stated that UNHCR cardholders could be treated as undocumented migrants if they commit certain immigration offences, such as working without a valid permit. Employers who hire UNHCR card-holding refugees without proper authorization may also face legal consequences, he added.
The exemptions granted to these refugees only cover two specific offenses under the Immigration Act - lacking valid travel documents or passes, and overstaying their permitted stay. Shaaban rejected claims that the immigration department had ever stated that Myanmar refugees with UNHCR cards are not undocumented migrants, disputing media reports to that effect.
The Malaysian government, through the Refugee Registration Documentation Programme, registers Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers to maintain comprehensive data on their presence in the country.
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