Jumbangla Desk: Millions of Bangladeshis are now on the way to become illegal because the Malaysian government has stopped the legalization process of illegal immigrants 'RTK two decimal zero'. As a result, millions of workers are now at legal risk. In the emerging situation, the expatriates demanded the introduction of new validation process 'RTK three decimal zero'.

A peaceful rally was held in this regard on Wednesday in the Ministry of Home Affairs with the participation of about 100 company owners.

They said the country's construction, plantation, manufacturing and service sectors are heavily dependent on foreign workers. It will be difficult for them to run these sectors if 'RTK two decimal zero' is stopped.

They also said thousands of foreign workers under the regularization process are still at risk of detention, even though they have registered in compliance with the law.

In addition, more than 400 employers in Malaysia protested to demand the resumption of the legalization program for illegal immigrants.

According to the data, there are currently one million Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Among them are second home owners, traders, permanent residents, students and tourists. Malaysia, after the Middle East, is known as the 'Europe' of South Asia, and is opening doors of new possibilities for Bangladeshis here. By exploiting these possibilities, Bangladesh is benefiting economically and socially.

If the speedy legalization process, 'RTK Three Decimal Zero' is not implemented, many Bangladeshis will be forced to return home, which will also cause major damage to remittance flows.

According to the Director General of the Immigration Department of Malaysia, after the introduction of 'RTK Two Decimal Zero' in 2023, about 700,000 illegal immigrants have applied for legalization until 2023, but the process has stopped at the end of 2023. Many of those whose visas have expired are yet to obtain legal status and have not received visas despite registering as per the government announcement.

Last September, more than 400 company owners applied to the Ministry of Home Affairs to extend the period for new registrations and previous payments of foreign workers under Malaysia's illegal immigration program.

According to the country's state media 'Bernama', a representative of the company owners said that the closure of the 'RTK 2.0 zero' program has had a serious impact on efforts to employ illegal immigrants as regular workers.