Immigrants get more work options

The Sun Daily
by Alyaa Alhadjri

PUTRAJAYA (Dec 21, 2011): The Home Ministry is proposing that the government relax conditions for the legalisation of illegal immigrants who had registered under the 6P exercise in August.

It is also proposing that those who have registered be allowed to be employed in 10 new sectors and 11 sub-sectors under the service industry (see table).

Current regulations state that foreign workers can only be ­employed in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, agricultural, services and domestic help sectors.

Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mahmood Adam said in a statement yesterday the decision to make the proposals was unanimously decided at a meeting of 6P Programme Regulatory Agencies comprising 18 ministries and agencies on Monday.

“The proposals are drawn up after taking into account responses from all stakeholders, including ­employers, management companies and foreign embassies who have urged the ­government to consider taking the three measures to allow for all related sectors to contribute to the nation’s economy,” Mahmood said.

He said the proposals will be submitted to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who chairs the cabinet committee on foreign workers and illegal immigrants, for immediate approval and implementation.

“If our proposals are accepted, then the procedures for legalisation will be simplified,” he said, adding that several ministries had expressed willingness to relax their conditions for hiring of foreign workers.

Mahmood, however, noted that the Human Resources Ministry through the Labour Department has yet to shorten its JobsMalaysia application process from its ­current seven days, to only one day, despite having been requested to do so.

(JobsMalaysia is an online portal set up under the Human Resources Ministry to match ­employees with prospective ­employers.)

“This is due to feedback from various parties, particularly ­employers, who claimed that lengthy bureaucracy is one of the main causes in delaying the legalisation process,” he said.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had said that statistics obtained from the 6P registration process showed a large number of illegal immigrants and foreign workers was found to be working in sectors not ­approved by the government.

Mahmood said 26,340 domestic helpers who were illegal but had registered under the 6P ­programme will be allowed to apply for legalisation.

However, he stressed that all illegal immigrants who have undergone the legalisation process will only be allowed to work for a maximum period of three years, after which they will have to immediately return to their home country.