KUALA LUMPUR: Some listed companies providing e-government and information technology services opened lower today following the Immigration Department's plans to directly handle all immigration transactions in 2025.

Today is the first day of trading after the long Thaipusam weekend.

As at 10.15am, MyEG Services Bhd slumped 20.42 per cent or 19.5 sen to 76 sen, Datasonic Group Bhd was down 3.5 sen or 7.07 per cent at 46 sen and Dagang NeXchange Bhd lost 0.5 sen or 0.74 per cent at 67 sen.

AwanBiru Technology Bhd (formerly Prestariang Bhd) remained unchanged at 40.5 sen and Iris Corp Bhd jumped 28 per cent or 3.5 sen to 16 sen.

The New Straits Times reported on Monday that by 2025, all immigration-related affairs, including those now managed by outside parties, such as MyEG, would revert to the Immigration Department.

Besides passport renewals and visa applications, applications and renewals of foreign worker and maid permits would be handled by the department when it rolled out its National Integrated Immigration System, the Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud told the NST.

Under the current Malaysian Immigration System, some services - termed "patch-on" services - are outsourced to independent contractors.