PETALING JAYA: Employers who successfully bring in foreign workers under the new recruitment and quota plan will have six months to comply with the preconditions, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“Once the workers are issued the Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS), the six-month period starts,” the Home Minister said in a statement yesterday.
These preconditions include adherence to labour laws, qualifying for the foreign worker hiring quota under the Human Resources Ministry and paying minimum wage.
Joint enforcement by the Home and Human Resources Ministries as well as relevant agencies would be carried out when the six-month grace period expires, he added.
“Action can be taken against employers who flout regulations and laws,” he said, adding that such enforcement is necessary in the interest of the nation’s safety and economic growth.
On Jan 10, Saifuddin announced policy changes for speedier processing of foreign worker recruitment and simplified procedures for application.
On the application process, he said employers must first get approval from the Human Resources Ministry which would be done within three working days.
Upon obtaining the approval document, employers can make levy payments at the Immigration Department.
“The employers can then identify the foreign workers from the source country to undergo health screening as a precondition before they leave for Malaysia,” he added.
After that, Saifuddin said, employers must complete the applications for the workers’ single entry visa.
Once the workers arrive and immigration processing is completed, they would be issued with the PLKS.
The new recruitment and quota plan will be in force until March 31, Saifuddin added.
Employers may source for workers from 15 countries – India, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.
According to Saifuddin, representatives from the relevant ministries and agencies will visit the source countries to see whether the new plan achieves its objectives.
He said that the first series of visits would be to Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal to hold discussions and negotiations with these source countries.
The visits also aim to ensure that the recalibration of foreign manpower is achieved by December, he added.
On the Illegal Immigrant Recalibration Plan 2.0, Saifuddin said it will be extended until December, with details being finalised by the Immigration Department.
The recalibration plan was implemented on Nov 6, 2020 to regularise illegal immigrants in the country as foreign workers who could be employed by eligible employers, subject to stringent conditions determined by the government.
