Kuala lumpur: The transition from manual submissions to an online platform for foreign worker applications is a positive step towards improving transparency, governance, and efficiency, according to industry groups. Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) president Jacob Lee Chor Kok said the shift followed the full implementation of the new application process through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), effective today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, 'The effectiveness of the new system will ultimately be reflected in its ability to deliver faster approvals, reduce administrative burdens and recruitment costs, and provide employers with greater certainty and transparency throughout the application journey,' Lee said in a statement today. Lee described the commitment to issue the Conditional Approval Letter (SKB) within 14 days as a positive service delivery target, noting that the timeline appeared to cover key stages such as interviews with regulatory agencies (AKS) and payment of the foreign worker levy.
He also urged the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) to provide greater visibility on processing timelines through transparent status tracking, while pending applications from the manufacturing sector should be processed expeditiously to minimise disruptions to business continuity and production. Meanwhile, the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) proposed exempting the agriculture and construction sectors from the requirement to advertise vacancies on the MYFutureJobs portal before applying for foreign worker quotas.
It said the exemption was necessary as employers in both sectors faced difficulties in attracting local workers. Currently, only the plantation sector is exempted from the requirement. The chamber also proposed that interviews with regulatory agencies such as the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) be held on multiple days each week and at designated locations in the northern, southern, and eastern regions instead of being held mainly in Putrajaya.
It added that more interviewers were needed to ease the administrative burden and improve resource management, as interviews for specific industries are currently scheduled only once a week. Earlier, KESUMA announced that applications for the recruitment of foreign workers are now fully processed online through the FWCMS, eliminating the need for employers to submit applications manually or make walk-in visits.
The ministry said the digitalisation initiative aimed to simplify the process by reducing repeated visits to government offices, shortening waiting times, and making the overall procedure more organised and transparent.