“The i-Kad, with its emphasis on security as a strategic effort to improve the management of foreign students in Malaysia, portrays the government’s responsiveness to the needs and welfare of the students,” Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

“The i-Kad portrays the government’s responsiveness to the needs and welfare of the students”

Information on the card – which corresponds to the MyKad, the compulsory ID card for Malaysian citizens – will include the student’s passport number and details of the educational institution where they are enrolled.

The validity period will reflect the duration of study, which the government hopes will help to track international students and curb ‘over-staying’, though this can be extended in the event that students decide to pursue further study.

“We welcome the introduction of the i-Kad because it provides a standardised form of identification for international students,” Christine Ennew, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the University of Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus, told The PIE News. “They will no longer need to worry about the security issues of carrying their passport with them at all times.”

At the moment the i-Kad can be used as a valid travel document throughout the peninsular, but not in these Eastern regions due to differing immigration laws.

“It will ensure that their status is clearly recognised by the authorities even when their visas are being renewed,” Ennew added.

She also suggested that the card could in future be used to add value for international students through discounts or promotions.

Education institutions have been charged with managing the issuing of the card, which Muhyiddin said he hoped can be done within a day as with passport applications.

The launch forms part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration, after the Malaysian government launched a nationwide operation in January to coincide with the ending of a two-year amnesty programme that resulted in the repatriation of around 330,000 foreign nationals.

“The government will not compromise on the matter of foreigners living in Malaysia illegally, thus reducing the employment opportunities and depriving Malaysians of their right to earn a living,” Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister of Home Affairs, said.