Refugee registration must be completed before work rights are granted, says NGO chairman

Granting legal work rights to refugees and asylum seekers should not proceed until issues of registration, identity verification, and immigration control are comprehensively resolved, according to Datuk Seri Halim Ishak, chairman of the Malaysian Community Care Foundation (MCCF).

Halim stated that while the need to protect vulnerable groups from exploitation is acknowledged, the proposal requires careful consideration and should not be rushed. He stressed the importance of ensuring every refugee and asylum seeker has a clear, monitorable status under an effective management mechanism. "We are concerned that granting work rights without truly effective control could create new pull factors, indirectly making Malaysia a more attractive destination for economic migration while the country still faces significant challenges in managing foreign nationals," he told Utusan Malaysia.

The government must also be mindful of public perception and the need for firm immigration policies, especially as Malaysia develops its Refugee Registration Document (DPP) system. The number of refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR reportedly exceeded 215,000 in February 2026. "In this situation, the government's priority should be to strengthen the verification, monitoring, and enforcement systems first," Halim added.

While acknowledging that legal work rights could reduce labor exploitation, improve employer monitoring, and decrease informal employment, Halim argued that solutions to exploitation do not necessarily require open work permits. He urged the government to ensure robust security screening, health checks, biometric records, employer controls, permitted sectors, and work duration limits are in place. Without such mechanisms, he warned, there is a risk of overlapping statuses between refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, and undocumented individuals, complicating law enforcement and straining social services.