Impact of immigrant migration on local populations

Illegal immigrant issues are now the centre of discussions nationwide and among contentious issues in Malaysia and the State of Sabah. An influx of foreign immigrants to Malaysia has various impacts on the local community. This study aims to examine the view of local people on the economic and social impacts of the migration of legal and illegal immigrants to Kota Kinabalu. A qualitative approach was employed to conduct a one-to-one interview that involved eight informants from the community of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sabah, Kota Kinabalu Branch. They consist of academic staff, non-academic staff, and students. 10 questions were developed based on previous literature reviews. The results show that the arrival of immigrants to Sabah has an economic, social, and environmental impact on the locals. The results were acquired through a conventional thematic analysis that has been applied in this study. The immigrants become dominant competitors to the locals in terms of job opportunities, particularly in agriculture, small business, and construction. Social impact triggers issues of crime rate, security threat, cultural influence, size of population, and social dilemma. Moreover, new findings collected from the interview session included the environmental impact related to the squatters’ sanitation, which may develop a negative perception among tourists. Policymakers and related government agencies should also take the necessary action to prevent the impact from spreading seriously among the locals.