PUTRAJAYA: The government has decided to reduce the duration for foreign worker recruitment applications from 29 months and 13 days to 15 months and 23 days, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Saifuddin said the decision made during a meeting between the home and human resources ministries was part of efforts to have a more effective formula for the management of foreign workers.

“It is a significant reduction of up to 46%. The reduction includes the levy payment period from 30 days to 15, because from our observations, 77% of employers pay the levy within 15 days, so we don’t need the 30 days.

“The process of foreign worker recruitment goes through a number of stages, starting from approval, application for quota, and interviews with agencies, up to their arrival at the nation’s entry points,” he said during a press conference.

However, the decision will only take effect after the government determines the new quota for foreign worker recruitment, which has been frozen since March 17, 2023. – freemalaysiatoday.com