Meulaboh Immigration Prevents Six Illegal PMI Candidates From Departing Abroad

Meulaboh Class II Immigration Office Officer, West Aceh, Aceh serves passport making (photo: dock. between)

JAKARTA - Class II Immigration Office Non Immigration Checkpoint (TPI) Meulaboh, Aceh, prevented the departure of six residents suspected of being prospective illegal Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from May to August 2025. Prevention is carried out for two years against the passport applicants.

Head of the Documents and Residence Permit Section of the Meulaboh Immigration Office, Taufan Taufik, said that this case was revealed after officers found indications of passport abuse. The six cases were found in May, June, and July 2025, respectively.

"The applicants applied for a new passport change after the old passport expired. When interviewed, they admitted that they would work in Malaysia, but could not show official documents or supporters from the Manpower Service or BP2MI," said Taufan in Meulaboh, Friday.

The results of the examination also found irregularities in their old passport. It was recorded that there were only entry stamps from Malaysian Immigration, without any exit or entry stamps from Indonesian Immigration. This confirms the allegation that they had worked in Malaysia illegally and planned to return without official procedures.

Based on these findings, the petitioners are suspected of violating Article 126 letter c of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration. This article stipulates that providing data or illegal information to obtain travel documents for the Republic of Indonesia can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to IDR 500 million.

According to Taufan, the application of this article aims to prevent the misuse of passports, protect state security, and ensure valid passport applicant data. He emphasized that the Meulaboh Immigration Office is committed to providing the best service to the community while supporting the government in eradicating the practice of illegal migrant workers.