Delay in permit renewal leaves foreign workers in limbo

Domestic workers say the process and cost of renewing their permits have changed. (AFP pic)

PETALING JAYA: Clutching a small bag in one hand and holding an umbrella in the other, Kak Som hurries across the road.

At first glance, the petite lady in her mid-50s could be mistaken for a Chinese Malaysian but she is actually an Indonesian with Chinese heritage.

She has worked as a domestic helper in Malaysia for nearly two decades, cleaning houses and serving different employers over the years.

She has never faced any problems working in the country – until now. Last June, she tried to renew her work permit. However, her application is still pending today.

“There has been no news,” she told FMT. “The same goes for all my friends who are trying to renew their permits.”

The only word she has received from her agency is that she and her friends will have to wait until after Chinese New Year. Even then, though, there is no guarantee that their permits will be immediately renewed.

For now, they can only be cautious whenever they leave their homes.

“We are very careful about going out to work. Once, I was asked by the authorities to show them my permit. I had no choice but to show them the expired one. I told them I was still waiting for my permit to be renewed.”

It wasn’t always this difficult to renew her papers, she said.

“The process is getting longer and harder, and the cost is not cheap.”

Maria, who comes from the Philippines, has been working as a maid in Malaysia for 10 years now. Like Kak Som, her permit expired last July and she has been unable to renew it.

Maria, 37, said she had asked her agency about her application many times. However, she is always told the same thing: “We will try to get it renewed by next month.”

“I don’t know where to turn to,” she said. “Staying in a country without documentation is dangerous, and I don’t feel safe.”

When contacted by FMT, civil society group Tenaganita attributed the problem in part to a lack of transparency in the procedure.

Tenaganita executive director Glorene A Das said this was frustrating for the foreign workers as well as their employers, who are left in limbo.

“We don’t know what is happening,” she said. “There is no transparency, or engagement between the employers, immigration and ministry.

“About four to five years ago, receipts and documents would be given directly by the immigration as something for us to hold on to, to go back and monitor and check, but right now there is nothing. No information about what is going on with the immigration and the relevant agencies.”

Glorene added that any decisions or new policies introduced by the government should not affect the ongoing renewal process for foreign workers’ permits.

She referred to an announcement by Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran last year that an independent committee to coordinate the overall policies and management of foreign workers would begin work in October.

“I believe the report by the committee will be released soon,” she said. “Maybe they are waiting for that to ascertain what is going to happen next. But that should not stop ongoing renewals.”

She also called for a review of the system for foreign workers.

“It is really important for the minister and his office to call for more grounded consultation, not jut open up a town hall and get everybody to come.” - FMT