Online quota system ends excuse for hiring undocumented workers
KUALA LUMPUR: Employers no longer have any excuse to hire undocumented foreign workers now that quota applications must be made through a fully online system, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said today.
He said the transfer of the foreign worker management One Stop Centre (OSC) to the Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma) would end case-by-case applications, special approvals and the need for employers to queue in person for quota processing.
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“Previously, perhaps they had an excuse. But now there is no excuse. That is very important,” he told a press conference at Wisma HRD Corp.
The OSC serves as the central processing point for employers applying for foreign worker quotas before approved applications proceed to the relevant agencies and the Home Ministry for immigration and work pass matters.
Ramanan said employers seeking to hire foreign workers must apply through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), with 22,476 pending applications involving 548 companies to be processed through the system.
He said the current ceiling set by the Economy Ministry allows for more than 130,000 foreign workers to be recruited across various sectors, but approvals would still depend on the needs of each sector and subsector.
He said an earlier figure stood at 19,000 applications, but the actual number as of this morning was 22,476.
“Enter the FWCMS system, submit your application and we will process it.
“There is no such thing as case-by-case approval,” he said.
Ramanan said employers must first obtain Section 60K approval under the Employment Act 1955 and advertise vacancies to local jobseekers through MyFutureJobs before applying to recruit foreign workers.
“If there are no takers, then they can apply for foreign workers through the OSC system.
“But give the jobs to locals first. We must look after the Malaysian workforce first before looking for foreign workers,” he said.
He said the new arrangement removed the need for employers to approach him, the deputy minister, senior ministry officials or ministry officers to expedite applications or seek special quota approvals.
“Myself, the deputy minister, the KSU, the deputy secretary-generals and my office—nobody is involved.
“There is no need to contact us, ask to meet us, ask whether we can speed things up or ask whether we can give a quota,” he said.
Ramanan said the system would also reduce human intervention “to a rounding error”, with appointment dates and interview slots generated automatically.
He said the old manual process had led to complaints about long queues, repeated trips and people buying earlier queue numbers, but those practices had now been eliminated.
“Now we have opened it. It is open. Apply, and if you are eligible and the regulatory agency says you qualify, we will give due consideration to your application.
“So they have no reason to hire undocumented foreign workers. They have no reason any more,” he said.
Ramanan said the Labour Department would continue enforcing regulations on wages, accommodation and workers’ welfare, while action under the Immigration Act could be taken against employers who hire workers without valid permits.
He said the Home Ministry remained the final authority for issuing passes or work permits and could reject applications on security grounds.
