We weren’t consulted on new foreign worker airport pickup policy: employers

KUALA LUMPUR – The Immigration Department’s announcement of a policy requiring employers to be present and claim non-Malaysian workers within six hours of them disembarking at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has caused consternation among impacted employers.

The department has been urged to hold discussions with stakeholders before implementing any new policies about picking up foreign workers who have flown in.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said having holistic discussions can prevent difficulties, thus minimising the possibility of problems occurring.

He requested the department to explain in detail the new rules that oblige employers to pick up foreign workers from KLIA themselves and have to take them to their respective destinations within six hours.

“Based on the new policy, foreign workers will not be released until their employers arrive at KLIA. However, the regulation does not state who can represent the employer,” Syed Hussain said.

“Is the employer allowed to appoint representatives such as directors, managers, and human resource officers? Do appointed agents have authority to accept workers on behalf of the employers?” he asked in an interview with Getaran, The Vibes’s Malay language sister portal.

Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzainee Daud recently announced that all employers are required to wait for the arrival of their new foreign workers at KLIA to ensure that the workers have legitimate employment.

He said employers are responsible for managing employees’ documentation and confirming that they are the employers of the respective foreign worker.

He added that Immigration Department regulations give employers six hours to pick up their foreign workers from KLIA, although the period may be extended under certain circumstances.

Employers unnecessarily burdened 

Commenting further, Syed Hussain said Immigration’s allocated six hours is too short.

It is not appropriate for the government to issue a “not allowed to enter” notice and deport workers who are already at KLIA via the next flight if the employer fails to abide by the rules.

“The matter will definitely burden employers cost-wise and will cause many problems. More complications will be created, especially when employers are severely understaffed.

“Implementation issues will arise, considering that the six-hour duration is too short. Although there are possibilities for the window to be extended, it does not state how long the extensions will be,” he said.

MEF has asked for further clarification on the new policy so that difficulties can be curtailed when it is implemented.

In a related development, the Muslim Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia president Datuk Jahawar Ali Taib Khan agreed with the matter and opined that the fetching of foreign workers at KLIA should be simplified and not the other way around.

According to him, the policy needs to be reviewed to ensure that foreign labour can be used by employers as soon as possible.

He said that the long process of letting foreign workers reach the airport’s arrival gate is currently causing employers to wait up to three to four hours because of the slow system.

“They can review the entry process to make it easier if all the (documentation) processes are alright as we have given the government all necessary particulars and (fees) have also been paid,” he added. – The Vibes, October 2, 2022