SUBANG: The introduction of online services to renew the foreign worker's permit and temporary visit pass is seen as not only helping to reduce the employer's expenditure but also easing the application process.
Malaysian Authorised Foreign Manpower Outsourcing Companies Association (TEKAM) president Dr Yusof Hashim said it was the right decision made by the government towards having great convenience, transparency and efficiency.
"The online method seems to be more transparent and fast. We don’t have to hire people to take numbers and wait for so long to renew the job permits.
"The process also will only take one or two days if compared to the old system where we need to wait for several months to get the renewal sticker," he said during a press conference here yesterday.
He said the new system would also provide a better monitoring system for employers to be updated with the status of foreign workers they have employed.
"This system will give MyEG the information needed to compile, verify, maintain, update, and analyse legal and illegal foreign workers database plus we also can know the current status of the foreign workers that’s on our payroll."
He said the new system would also avoid any involvement of unauthorised middlemen and agents hired by certain companies to do the renewal process.
"Some employers paid huge amounts to syndicates to apply for the permits and they would flock the Immigration offices as early as 3am to do the job," he said.
Yusof added the government should review the RM38 service charge imposed by MyEG as the employers have already paid for Temporary Social Visit Passes (PLKS) processing fee of RM125 to the Immigration Department.
"We hope the government can revise the RM38 fee as it will increase the cost to renew the permit, especially those who have thousands of foreign workers under their payroll," he said.
On Jan 5, the government had appointed MyEG Services Sdn Bhd to manage the online application for foreign workers permit which aimed to solve numerous problems at immigration offices.
However, the department has temporarily reopened its PLKS counters nationwide following a backlash by several quarters over the move to outsource the e-government service provider.
The counters will be open until Feb 28 to allow employers to familiarise themselves with the new online system.