SEPANG: The Immigration Department barred 85,964 out of 22.6 million foreigners from entering Malaysia last year.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said they were slapped with “Not To Land” (NTL) notices under Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 for many reasons, including the intention to overstay in the country.
“Tourists who come into the country must be able to show a return ticket, where they will be staying and how much money they have for here,” he said at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), here, today.
“If they fail to show any of this, only then will they be issued the NTL under Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1959/1963.”
He said the largest number of foreigners issued NTL notices were from Indonesia (43,870), India (12, 808) and China (8,119).
He said, on average, there was a discrepancy of about 20 to 30 per cent in the number of passengers returning to their home countries after visiting Malaysia.
“We don’t want people visiting Malaysia on a social visit pass and ending up working here and not returning to their country.
“That’s why it is important for the Immigration Department to take this matter seriously.”
Earlier, Azis visited the Immigration counters at KLIA and klia2 to check on the department’s systems and procedures, as well its preparations for Visit Malaysia 2020.