Immigration to revoke 1,306 work passes approved through MyIMMs breach

Malaysia's Immigration Department will revoke every Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS) found to have been approved irregularly through a breach of the MyIMMs system, and will track down the holders for further enforcement action.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the revocation is the first step following the discovery of irregular PLKS approvals under Ops Crack, a joint operation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). He was speaking at a joint press conference with MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman on 31 July.

What the authorities found

• 1,306 PLKS were issued irregularly
• The estimated loss to the government is RM2.4 million
• The syndicate is believed to have manipulated the system using PLKS quotas allocated back in 2011, without paying the levy that should have applied
• 12 people have been arrested, among them six Immigration officers and a police officer

Zakaria said the department could not disclose where the pass holders are. He said they are at several locations, and that revealing more at this stage could cause them to flee.

The investigation is still widening

Abd Halim said investigations were ongoing and more individuals are expected to be called in to assist. MACC has recorded statements from four people so far, with more witnesses expected to be summoned as the case progresses.

He said further arrests and seizures are anticipated, and that investigators are freezing and examining several personal and company bank accounts believed to be linked to the case.

Why this matters to employers

Most reporting on this case has focused on the arrests. For an employer, the operative fact is a different one: 1,306 passes are being cancelled, and the department has said it will trace the people holding them.

A revoked pass is not a pass. Once the revocation takes effect, a worker holding one is no longer lawfully documented — and that is true regardless of whether the employer knew anything about how the approval was obtained.

Three practical points follow from what has been reported:

• Company bank accounts are within scope. Investigators said they are examining company accounts linked to the case, not only personal ones. Where a business was connected to one of these approvals, the exposure is not limited to the worker.
• The quotas involved date back to 2011. A pass can look ordinary on its face and still trace back to a quota that was never properly paid for. The paperwork in your own file will not necessarily show that.
• The department is tracing holders, not waiting for them. This is active enforcement, not an administrative cleanup.

What we would suggest

If every permit you hold was arranged through a licensed agency and you have the levy receipts and approval correspondence on file, this case does not change anything for you.

If any of your permits were arranged through an intermediary you cannot fully account for — particularly at unusually low cost or unusually quickly — it is worth establishing now how those approvals were obtained, rather than finding out during an enforcement visit.

If you are not sure where your permits came from, speak to us and we will help you work through it.

Source

The Star, 31 July 2026 — "Immigration to revoke all work passes issued through MyIMMs hack" https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/07/31/immigration-to-revoke-all-work-passes-issued-through-myimms-hack

Summarised by JNT Manpower Solutions from the report cited above. Figures are as reported on that date and may change as investigations continue. Allegations reported at this stage have not been tested in court.