PUTRAJAYA: More than 2,000 employers have been caught hiring undocumented foreign workers over the past three years, often lured by cheaper labour and supplied through illegal agents charging up to RM8,000 per worker.

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said that from 2023 to this year, enforcement action had been taken against 2,368 employers, with compound fines amounting to RM43.16 million.

A total of 1,034 employers were prosecuted in court.

In 2023, 605 employers were detained and fined RM10.62 million, with 386 charged in court.

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In 2024, 1,123 employers were detained, RM19.65 million in fines issued, and 462 prosecuted.

So far this year, 640 employers have been detained, with RM12.88 million in fines issued and 186 charged in court.

Zakaria said many blacklisted employers were using illegal agents or syndicates to supply workers, bypassing proper procedures and exploiting loopholes in the system.

"These syndicates use various tactics, including forged documents and unlicensed agents," he said.

In one recent case, six people were arrested and passports seized — 394 Bangladeshi, six Indonesian, two Indian, nine Pakistani, and one Filipino.

"These agents supply foreign workers to blacklisted employers at a cost of RM8,000 per person," he said, adding that some syndicates exploit the Labour Recalibration Programme and approved worker quotas to provide manpower to ineligible employers, charging exorbitant fees.

He said some syndicates also use premises as transit houses to hide foreign workers before placement.

"In one case, five Indian women were hidden in a toilet for nearly three weeks while waiting to be sent to an employer," he added.

The syndicates are also known to offer illegal renewal services for Temporary Employment Visit Passes, charging between RM4,000 and RM6,000 per worker annually without going through proper legal channels.

Zakaria said that hiring undocumented foreign workers is an offence under Section 55(b) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155).

Employers may also be prosecuted under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) if there are elements of exploitation or trafficking.