Governance and Livelihood of Indonesian Undocumented Migrant Workers in Sabah, Malaysia

Nationals and international governing institutions have implemented various policy to deter illegal migration. Nonetheless, undocumented migration, especially work-related migration remains to be an important source of livelihood for those living in developing countries including Indonesia. The number of undocumented Indonesian migrant workers ranks among the highest in ASEAN countries. Similar to the global trend, the number of Indonesian undocumented migrant increases despite harsher policy being implemented by Indonesian government. This study aims at exploring what factors drive Indonesian migrant workers to stay in Sabah, Malaysia. The research focuses on the experience of Indonesian workers in Sabah, Malaysia as Indonesian workers’ biggest destination due to its near geographical location to Indonesia. The article asks what factors are influencing workers decision to remain in Sabah. The research question stems from existing literatures which shows that despite facing harsh conditions due to their lack of documentation (not having residential permit and inappropriate work permits), Indonesian workers remain to be the biggest population of undocumented migrants in Malaysia. We use qualitative approach utilizing in-depth interviews with Indonesian migrant workers in Sabah. Instead of deterring illegal migration, we argue that complex migration laws in Indonesia and Malaysia lead to increasing the number of undocumented Indonesia migrant workers remaining in Sabah.