Undocumented Filipino workers in Malaysia and those with incomplete papers may face arrest and repatriation once the nationwide crackdown against illegal foreign workers commence in the country after January 21.

The Malaysian government's Home Ministry has given illegal migrant workers a three-month grace period to regularize their working status in the country starting October 2013, when they launched a program allowing employers to let their illegal foreign workers, to correct their work status before the deadline.

In case of repatriation, the cost should be shouldered by the employer or the worker and the home country's embassy.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said that consular outreach missions in areas where there is a large number of Filipinos are being continuous and the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur has intensified its efforts to reach out and provide assistance to Filipinos in Malaysia that will be affected by the crackdown.

The crackdown of illegal migrant workers coincides with the Malaysian government's decision to put a stop in hiring foreign workers for their fastfood industry to prioritize local workers in the hiring process.