PUTRAJAYA, Jan 16 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said a discussion will be held with the Cabinet on the option of sending undocumented foreign workers back to their respective countries.

He said that the ministry will present a joint Cabinet paper along with the Human Resources Ministry by the end of January.

"Compound would definitely be imposed and we will scrutinise this issue based on the applications we received.

"This is in response to the embassies of the source countries who suggested for the options of their nationals to be sent back to their homes,” he said during a joint press conference with the Human Resources Minister Steven Sim at Kompleks Setia Perkasa, here, today.

He said the matter was decided after a meeting with the foreign workers management committee earlier.

In 2022, Saifuddin said that the government has imposed recalibration 1.0 where foreign workers who overstayed would be allowed the option to be sent back home.

However, he said that the recalibration of sending back the foreign workers was halted after the unity government came into power in 2023.

During the press conference, Saifuddin said that Malaysia will allow foreign workers to be transferred to industries facing a shortage of workers.

He said the plantation and agriculture sectors were among the affected industries.

He further said that he had met with the Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Ghani earlier today to discuss the matter.