PUTRAJAYA: More than RM5bil of the country’s revenue next year is expected to come from the Immigration Department through various initiatives that it has rolled out, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The Home Minister said that with the department already filling the nation’s coffers with RM4.8bil, next year’s target was seen as doable, particularly with the launch of the Malaysia Premium Visa Programme (PVIP).
Hamzah said applications for the PVIP programme opened on Oct 1, and the approval committee had set a quota of 10,300 applicants.
“If the quota is fully taken up, it will generate revenue of RM206mil from this alone. As of Tuesday, revenue from PVIP had already reached RM4mil,” he said after attending a gathering with immigration personnel yesterday.
A chunk of the RM4.8bil revenue was from foreign workers’ levies.
“The department’s capability in consistently generating income for the nation is commendable. Despite the pandemic, the department generated RM3.5bil in revenue,” he added.
At the event, Hamzah also launched the department’s ePass service.
The service, which started in September, enables employers to renew workers’ temporary working visit passes (PLKS) online.
Employers who want to renew PLKS passes for their workers must register at the ePLKS@JIM portal, which can be accessed through the department’s official portal.
“The ePass is strictly for renewing the PLKS passes.
“Those applying for PLKS passes for the first time still need to go through the usual application process as officials need to take the workers’ biometrics,” said Hamzah.
He said the Immigration’s initiatives including the epayment system had led to RM2.53mil in savings for the government, he said.
“I am proud that the department is the pioneer among government agencies in implementing the epayment system.
“Digitalisation has not only saved the government money in expenditure but has reduced cases of wrongdoing involving public funds.”
On operations, Hamzah said that a total of 6,673 raids had been conducted since January, which saw 258 employers and 18,123 undocumented immigrants detained.
