Employers Must Now Pick up New Foreign Workers at KLIA

Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud said that employers must wait for their new foreign workers to arrive at KL International Airport (KLIA) to confirm that they have a genuine employer.

According to Khairul Dzaimee, employers are responsible for managing workers' documents and confirming that they are the employers of the workers in question.

According to him, the Immigration Department's laws give companies six hours to receive their foreign workers at KLIA, but that term might be extended in specific instances.

"The foreign workers will not be released until their true employer, as specified in the application, comes to KLIA to pick them up." This rule seeks to ensure that all foreign workers are employed by reputable companies.

"Employers who fail to comply with this guideline will be issued a 'Not to Land' (NTL) notice, and the foreign workers will be sent home on the next aircraft to their country of origin," he said in response to social media claims about the handling of foreign worker admission at KLIA.

MEF's reaction

According to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), the new rule requiring employers to receive new foreign workers at the KLIA must be addressed with the relevant parties before it is implemented.

Its president, Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman, stated that clearer clarification on the new policy is also needed to avoid problems during implementation.

"MEF believes that such (a) new policy may cause implementation problems because the six-hour window set by the Immigration Department may be too short.  Even while the six-hour limit can be extended, it does not indicate how long the extension can be granted.

"According to the new policy, foreign workers will not be allowed to leave until their employers arrive at KLIA." The new regulation, however, does not stipulate who can represent the employers. Can the employers be represented by directors, managers, or human resources officers, or can the selected agents be authorised to welcome workers on their behalf?" he asked in a statement today.

According to Syed Hussain, the planned policy of sending foreign workers already at KLIA on the next return flight if employers fail to comply will be highly costly for enterprises.

"It will create a slew of other obstacles and challenges, particularly when employers are facing significant shortages of labour, particularly international workers," he stated.

Khairul Dzaimee said that since the reopening of the national borders, the Immigration Department had managed the new foreign workers' entry totalling 98,079 from April 1 to September 26.