PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has listed six special cases in which employers of foreign workers may renew work permits over the counter instead of online.
Its foreign workers division director Farah Adura Hamidi said the special cases had come up while employers were applying for renewals during MyEG Services Bhd’s online system’s proof-of-concept (POC) period, scheduled to end on Feb 28.
She told mStar in an interview that renewals involving the following six circumstances would have to be done at the counter:
> Worker has overstayed;
> Worker has been blacklisted;
> Passport is close to expiry;
> Worker who is not required to undergo Fomema screening anymore, which is after the third year;
> Incomplete data on worker; and
> Worker’s data does not match Immigration records.
After employers complained about the RM38 charge for every online application as well as the sudden nature of the announcement, the department decided to re-open its counters until Feb 28. However, the online applications through MyEG are still available for employers.
Farah Adura said the POC period was to test the efficiency of the system and the service provider.
She said the period had been introduced to identify problems or weaknesses in the system that was implemented on Jan 5.
“We have to move forward in implementing a (renewal) method which is most effective, including using an online system, to make it easier for employers.
“I hope to get feedback from employers to help us improve the system so it can be more effective in the future,” she added.
MyEG executive director Datuk Raja Munir Shah Raja Mustapha admitted there were renewal applications that had to be cleared “manually” at Immigration counters rather than online.
However, he said the system had been improved after resolving issues on matters arising from the RM38 charge slapped on employers.
“We have to think about how to improve. MyEG and the Immigration Department can discuss the steps forward to provide easier and faster service to the public,” he said.
When asked whether they could resolve the six problem areas, Raja Munir said: “InsyaAllah (God willing). We have to look at the mechanism and the process.
“Whatever that we can automate online, InsyaAllah, we will do it.
“There might be some we can’t because they could involve amendments to the law.
“If we can overcome these matters, I do not see why it cannot be done online,” he said.
Raja Munir said they would hold discussions on the best way to inform applicants of cases that could not be processed online.
He added that employers could get clarification by e-mailing help@myeg.com.my.
news source & image credits: thestar.com.my
