The Malaysian authorities have legalised 1,416 of more than 13,000 Vietnamese workers who have been working there illegally, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia reported.
In addition, about 3,000 others have been put on the waiting list for legalisation.
The legalisation was made as part of the Malaysian Government’s 6P program to deal with the illegal immigration of foreigners to the country.
The program involved registration, legalisation, amnesty, monitoring, enforcement and repatriation of illegal immigrants.
Previously, the term of legalization was set to begin on October 10, 2011 and end on February 15, 2012, but the authorities have recently extended the term until April 10, 2012.
After the term is over, illegal foreign workers who remain staying and working in Malaysia will be penalized and expelled.
On February 8, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman held talks in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Vietnamese FM’s two-day visit to Malaysia.
During the talk, Foreign Minister Aman said the Malaysian government is implementing a program for the management of foreign workers, and encourages Vietnamese workers to participate in this program to have legal working conditions and more effective working results.
