Home minister announces new system for temporary work permits, no more middlemen
Monday, 02 Dec 2019 11:30 AM MYT
BY SOO WERN JUN
Foreign workers are seen at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur February 16, 2016. ― Picture by Yusof Mat IsaPUTRAJAYA, Dec 2 — A new system called “ePLKS@JIM” (electronic temporary working permits) will take effect in January 2020 to help employers who are applying for Visitor’s Pass (Temporary Employment), the home minister announced today.
According to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, this new system will ease the application process for employers who previously had to be present at the immigration counter.
“It will save application time as this process will not need the involvement of any middleman or vendor,” he told reporters after the launch of the ePLKS@JIM at the Immigration Day 2019 celebration here.
Muhyiddin added that employers who are applying for these temporary work permits will only have to make payment for levy, processing fee and the visa as per regulations stipulated for PLKS applications.
“However, employers have a choice of whether they want to use the ePLKS@JIM or to utilise vendor services.
“But in relation to that, we encourage employers to fully utilise the new system to ensure the application process for temporary work permits runs smoothly,” he said.
More information can be obtained from the Immigration Department’s website.
Previous efforts to introduce the ePLKS were suspended under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration. This had been outsourced to a private firm that came under the spotlight because of its directors who were allegedly “closely linked” to Putrajaya.
The ePLKS system was then launched as part of the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) together with biometric health checks.
The suspension took effect in January 2015.
It was reported by The Edge that both the FWCMS and biometric health checks had been criticised by foreign employment agency operators who threatened to stop sending workers to Malaysia.
Operators reportedly complained of the drastic hike in fees, from RM15 to RM250 under the FWCMS, which was outsourced to private company Bestinet Sdn Bhd.
The FWCMS is a website handled by Bestinet which also handled applications for foreign worker quotas, their electronic temporary working permits (ePLKS) and insurance, among others.
Meanwhile, commenting on a separate matter, Muhyiddin said the Home Ministry will consider the suggestions made by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Latheefa Koya to transfer the recruitment of migrant workers back to the Human Resources Ministry.
“We will consider what the MACC said. The migrant workers who come in, they still have to pass through the Immigration Department.
“Although when hired, they will be regulated under the Employment Act 1955, when they overstay or do not fulfil criteria on their working visa, the Immigration Department has the right to step in and take action against them,” said Muhyiddin.
It was reported by Malaysiakini that returning the hiring process of migrant workers to the Human Resources Ministry is the beginning of combating corruption linked to the recruitment of migrant workers.
In proposing for an end to the system, Latheefa reportedly said the current policy under the purview of the Home Ministry is one that allows the exploitation of migrant workers.
She added that the cycle of migrant workers being cheated and exploited could be broken if they are only recruited for available jobs in predetermined sectors.
