Employers urged not to appoint own agents to recruit foreign workers

SEBERANG JAYA: The Immigration Department today called on employers not to appoint agents on their own to recruit foreign workers.
Immigration Department Foreign Workers Division director Datuk Khairul Khar Yahya said only registered agents should liaise with the department on the recruitment of foreign workers.
"Some employers are looking for a quick way to hire foreign workers and the so-called agents can offer quick deals without any problems.
"Do not be fooled by the offers by foreign workers' agents and employers are advised to come to the Immigration office personally to deal with the process of recruiting foreign workers," he told reporters after a dialogue session with representatives of the Home Ministry and members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) here today.
He said the Labour Department has issued a statement that only agents with C licence, enforced under the Private Employment Agencies Act, were allowed to liaise with the Immigration Department for the recruitment of foreign workers on behalf of the private sector.
He also advised foreign workers without valid permits to surrender themselves through the voluntary surrender programme or better known as 3+1.
"Under the 3 + 1 programme, illegal immigrants can return to their country of origin in orderly and legal way and if they want to work in Malaysia, they can come again with a valid permit," he said.
He said that almost 2,000 foreign workers surrendered voluntarily daily under the programme following the implementation of the 'Ops Mega 3.0', launched on July 1 last year, to address problems related to illegal immigrants and foreign workers.
Meanwhile, Penang FMM branch chairman Datuk Dr Ooi Eng Hock said dialogue sessions between employers and the authorities were necessary to improve understanding in the process of hiring foreign workers.
"Through such dialogues, all questions will be answered and employers will follow the correct methods in their dealings with the Immigration Department," he said. — Bernama