PUTRAJAYA: The government has extended the deadline for the Visa With Reference (VDR) application to April 21.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in a press conference said the extension was due to the large amount of active quotas amounting to 132,000 that have yet to apply.
"This extension takes into account the approximate number of active quotas that have not applied for VDR, which is 132,000.
"It was also due to the technical glitches that occurred in the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) on March 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, and 29, 2024."
The deadline was previously slated for March 31, where unused quotas will be cancelled, and payments will be refunded.
Saifuddin also said that an expected 105,600 workers would be granted VDR Approval Letters out of the 132,000 quotas that had not yet applied.
"This was following the trend of approved quota entries for the past five years where it has not exceeded 80 per cent of the total approved quota."
As such, he said the extension would provide genuine employers with the opportunity to expedite the process of obtaining VDR Approval Letters promptly and will also benefit employers, especially in critical sectors such as agriculture.
"In this regard, employers are urged to make the best use of the extension period provided to obtain VDR Approval Letters.
"This reminder is crucial to avoid high traffic on the system during the final moments, as seen recently."
Saifuddin however said that the deadline for the entry of foreign workers in the formal sector would remain on May 31.
"This is kept in line with market sentiments requiring immediate labour to prevent a 'delayed benefit' situation."
Previously, industry associations have requested that the Visa With Reference (VDR) applications be extended to September from March 31 to meet their quota obligations.
They said that the longer timeframe was necessary due to the complex and time-consuming process of hiring foreign personnel.