PUTRAJAYA: Domestic workers will be included for the first time in the Labour Recalibration Programme 2.0 (RTK 2.0) which will allow employers to legalise their foreign workforce.
The programme will begin next Friday, said Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
He said only eight sectors will be eligible for the programme and foreign workers must meet certain requirements.
“Only foreign workers under verified employers in the manufacturing, construction, mining, security, service, agriculture and farming sectors will be able to apply for RTK 2.0. We have now added the foreign maid sector as well.
“Eligible foreign workers include those who have been found to have either entered and stayed in the country using an unverified work visa, overstayed their work visa or violated their work visa’s terms and conditions on or before Dec 31, 2022.
“Those who have been registered in the Rehiring Programme and the 6P Programme are also eligible to apply,” he said during the press briefing session for RTK 2.0 at the Immigration Department headquarters here yesterday.
He added that foreign workers must also meet certain preconditions in order to be eligible.
“Foreign workers who have either been blacklisted or are on any suspicious persons list are not eligible.
“They must also have on them their travel documents from their home country that are at least still valid for a minimum of 18 months while also having been previously deemed ‘fit to work’ by the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema),” he said.
According to Khairul Dzaimee, the entire legalisation process under RTK 2.0 should only take up to three weeks as long as both employers and foreign workers have their respective required documents on hand.
“Employers must first apply for an appointment via the government immigration website, where they will receive an appointment date within three days.
“Employers must then accompany their qualified illegal foreign workers, along with any relevant documents, to the Immigration Department on the appointed date for verification of their documents.
“The verification process itself should be finished within the day itself, depending on the number of applications, after which immigration department officials will decide on the approval of each application.
“Rejected applicants can either choose to appeal or reapply at a later date, while those who are approved must undergo another health check-up by Fomema.
“Those who fail the check-up are returned to their home countries, while those who pass must pay the applicable fees based on the sector of the foreign worker.
“Foreign workers will then be given a temporary working visit pass (PLKS) after the payments are processed,” he said, noting that fees include recalibration, visa, PLKS, levies and processing.
“The total fee per applicant for those in the manufacturing, construction, mining, security and service sectors costs the most – at RM3,535. Those in farming and agriculture cost RM2,325 while those in the maid sector cost the least at RM2,095,” said Khairul Dzaimee.
He also talked about how the procedures for hiring new foreign workers have been streamlined.
“Employers first make their application to the Labour Department, and once approved, they must immediately pay the levy fees to the Immigration Department.
“After the process of identifying, (health) screening and verifying the foreign workers in their home countries, the workers are then given a single-entry visa with reference from Malaysia’s Immigration Department.
“Once they enter the country, they will then be given a special pass that will give them 30 days to undergo another health check-up by Fomema.
“Upon passing the test, they are then given a PLKS as proof of their status as legal foreign labour,” he said.
Khairul Dzaimee also confirmed that inspections to ensure employers adhere to labour laws will begin six months after the issuance of foreign workers’ PLKS.
He also stated that employers who fail to comply will face consequences based on the gravity of the violation.
The maiden labour recalibration exercise was held in November 2020 before ending in December 2021.
