Malaysia Allows Indians, Chinese To Travel Visa-Free While Cracking Down On Illegal Immigrants

In a bid to increase tourism, Malaysia announced travelers from India and China will be able to visit the country without a tourist visa, beginning Jan. 1.

The exemption will be in effect for the entire year.

However, an order signed by Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad says Indian and Chinese tourists must first register through an “electronic travel registration and information system” and then must travel to Malaysia within three months of such registration.

“The traveler is only limited to a 15-day travel period and is not allowed to extend his stay,” the order read. “Entry into Malaysia must be done via designated airports or immigration control posts.”

Moreover, upon arriving in Malaysia, tourists must prove they have enough cash, a credit card or a bank card, to fund their stay in the country. They must also possess a return ticket.

In addition, any tourist who is listed on the country’s Immigration Department's blacklist or categorized as a “prohibited immigrant” would be refused entry.

"The Home Ministry and the Immigration Department will always ensure that national security is the top priority and will not compromise on matters that could jeopardize the nation’s peace and security," the home ministry stated.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry Secretary-General Noor Zari Hamat said China and India are among the countries sending the most tourists to Malaysia, ranking third and fourth, respectively, behind Singapore and Indonesia.

“We expect tourist arrivals from China and India to remain high with the move by the government to suspend the need for visa for one year,” he said.

In 2018, Malaysia received 25.8 million international tourists while in the first nine months of 2019, tourist arrivals totaled about 20.1 million and they spent about $16.1 billion in the 2019 period, a marked increase from 1990 when Malaysia hosted 7.4 million foreign tourists.

Malaysia hopes to attract 30 million tourists in 2020.

While Malaysia wants to attract more travelers from Asia’s two largest nations, it remains committed to tackling illegal immigration and removing tourists who overstay their visas.

"Stern action will be taken against foreigners found to have breached immigration laws as they will be arrested, charged in court and deported to their country of origin,” the home ministry warned.

Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government will introduce a five-year “holistic plan” next year to eliminate illegal immigration entirely. The plan will involve the cooperation of various government ministries and related agencies.

“This year we have achieved a lot of success in terms of combating the problem of illegal immigrants,” he said. “Through this plan, we want to make sure that every year the [number] of illegal immigrants will drop until there are no more foreign workers entering or working illegally in the country.”

The plan to reduce illegal immigration will focus onn strategies for enforcement operations, laws and policy, border control and entry point, management of foreigners, and media and publicity, he added.

“The most important thing for us is how to tackle those illegal immigrants who have settled here before the holistic plan takes effect next year,” Yassin said. “Maybe their original aim of coming was to work but they persisted in overstaying to the extent of committing other things like crime, and this is what we are paying attention to.”

Malaysia had an estimated 2 million to 4 million undocumented migrant workers at the end of 2018. Most of these people hailed from Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.