KUALA LUMPUR, January 28 – In an effort to enhance the efficiency of the foreign worker recruitment process, the Malaysian government has decided to reduce the application duration from 29 months and 13 days to 15 months and 23 days, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. This significant reduction of up to 46 percent includes shortening the levy payment period from 30 to 15 days, considering that the majority of employers settle the levy within the first 15 days.
The decision, reached during a meeting between the Home Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry, will only take effect after the government makes a new decision on the frozen quota for foreign worker recruitment since March 17, 2023. Saifuddin also mentioned that the meeting agreed to review Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) terms with 15 source countries regarding the hiring and recruitment of foreign workers, covering fees, costs, contracts, and health screening.
The top three countries providing foreign workers to Malaysia—Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal—were highlighted, with emphasis on sufficiency in service, construction, and manufacturing sectors, while the agriculture and plantation sectors face a deficit and high demand. Additionally, the government plans to resume the Recalibration Programme to repatriate foreign workers who have overstayed, subject to cabinet approval, based on feedback from source countries’ embassies.
