PUTRAJAYA – A total of 2,000 applications involving 156,621 foreign workers have been submitted since the Foreign Worker Employment Relaxation Plan (FWERP) was introduced on January 17, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
19.58% of the total applications recorded yesterday had been approved while another 125,156 were being processed, said the minister.
He added that data from the first four days of the plan’s implementation showed there were 765 applications recorded involving 56,622 foreign workers of which 30,465 were approved.
“The Immigration Department has collected levy payments totalling RM6,147,360 from 93 employers involving 3,999 foreign workers in various sectors since the plan’s implementation until yesterday,” he said when delivering his New Year’s address to ministry staff here today.
Saifuddin said the ministry required three days to assess the authenticity of applications submitted by employers under the plan before granting approval.
Among the matters examined, he said, were if they qualified under the critical sectors that contributed to the country’s economic development namely construction, specialised services for the restaurant sub-sector, manufacturing, plantation and agriculture.
“Also emphasised is the employer’s legitimacy, namely whether the company actually exists and the evaluation of its status, to prevent attempts by irresponsible outsourcing agencies to take advantage of the relaxation provided by the government,” he said.
Saifuddin said discussions had been held with representatives of countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal to get their commitment to ensuring the smooth entry of foreign workers whose employment had been approved.
The re-implementation of the Labour Recalibration Programme and the introduction of the FWERP were among the matters agreed upon in the special foreign worker management meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday.
Through FWERP, employers will be allowed to hire foreign workers from 15 source countries without needing to go through pre-requisite hiring and quota qualifications. – Bernama, January 27, 2023
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