Human Resource Minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan is lying when he said there is no problem in hiring of foreign workers

I have received many complaints that it still almost impossible for employers to get approval for foreign workers quota unless they use agents who have internal contacts in the Ministry and make additional payments. The following are the reasons:

1. Interview for the application for foreign workers quota is conducted only at the Putrajaya office of the Human Resource Ministry (HRM) and the employer or the employer’s representative has to be present personally. The employer or the employer’s representative has also to be present physically at the HRM or the Home Ministry to resolve any issue or matter related to the application including small matters like updating the latest telephone number and the address of the employer. This is a huge inconvenience to the employers especially those who come from far away.
2. All supporting documents must be certified by the respective parties. The bank statement by the bank, the EPF statement by EPF, matters related to SOCSO by SOCSO and the company search report by the Company Commission etc. This is very inconvenient as the offices of these parties may be very far away from the employer’s office.
3. The Ministry imposes a condition that the supporting documents must not be more than 3 months old failing which a fresh application has to be made and fresh certified copies of the documents have to be obtained.
4. There is no time frame for HRM in processing the application. HRM often delay in processing and granting the date for the interview. After I exposed that there are complaints that corrupt money has to be paid before an interview is granted, the HRM has reverted to walk in interview. However, the problem stated in 14 below surfaces.
5. Once an application is rejected, there is no appeal. The employer has to make a fresh application and the fresh certified supporting documents have to be obtained all over again as the 3 months’ validity period have probably expired.
6. Applications are rejected arbitrarily stating reasons that are untrue. For example an application is rejected on the ground that the applicant has not advertised at Myfuturejob when this has been done or that the applicant is not eligible to apply for more workers when the HRM’s guidelines clearly stated that the employer is entitled to more workers.
7. Conducting mandatory interview is totally unnecessary as the HRM does not ask for any additional information during the interview which are not contained in the application or the supporting documents that were enclosed with the application.
8. An employer cannot proceed with the application through the FWCMS website when it states that the employer’s data needs to be updated. In order to update the data, the applicant has to go personally to the Home Ministry and Human Resource Ministry which are at Putrajaya! Why can’t the updating of data be done through the FWCMS website?
9. After the interview is conducted, no time is specified as to whether the application is approved or otherwise. Employers are left in the dark.
10. After an application approved and the levy payment is made, the payment receipt and the letter of approval printed out from the computer have to be brought all the way to the Human Resource Ministry in Putrajaya to be stamped and certified as original copies. Whether the receipt and the approval letter are genuine should be verified from the system and not using a rubber stamp which can be easily forged. Should a foreign embassy require such a form of certification the nearest HRM should be able to certify them as they are connected online with the HRM Putrajaya office.
11. FWCMS is not linked to e-PLKS of the Home Ministry. Why can’t it be linked? The employer has to open a separate account with the Home Ministry for the e-PLKS.
12. Employer has to be present physically at the Home Ministry at Putrajaya to apply for the e-PLKS account. Why can’t it be applied online or at the immigration offices nationwide?
13. Multiple applications are required if there are different crops are planted on the same piece of land or different pieces of land owned by employer.
14. Current walk-in interview caused many people to queue up even at 4.00am in the morning when office opens only at 8.00am. On 29/8/2022 it was reported that more that 1,000 employers turned up for the required interview but many were turned away as the ministry could only process about 300 applications. Imagine the disappointment of the employers who came from very far away and have waited since early morning only to be turned away. Why can’t Human Resource Ministry arrange a systematic method for the employers to turn up for the interview? As stated earlier this interview is totally unnecessary and should be scrapped.
15. Multiple changes in the application process both at the Human Resource Ministry and the Home Ministry caused the employers to be at a loss on how to apply for the quota for foreign workers.

Dato’ Seri M. Saravanan has failed to make good his promise made on 5th October 2022 that the application and interview for foreign workers’ quota can be done at the Department of Labour of the respective states.

I call on the people to reject Dato’ Seri M. Saravanan in this General Election at the Tapah Parliamentary seat and the candidates from the last BN/PN government who have proven themselves to be a total failure in governing the country.