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Difficult conditions hamper registration for E-Card
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The issuance of the E-Card to register illegal foreign workers, it is hoped by the government, will end the problem of the millions of undocumented foreign workers in the country. However, the objective may not be realised if one considers the smaller number of workers registered so far before the end of June deadline. In all the major Immigration Departments offices there are long queues of workers wanting to be registered and the situation is chaotic in some locations.

The government has rightly excluded agents and middlemen because of the exorbitant fees that were imposed. However, it must be noted that it is still difficult and time consuming for the employers to register their workers for the E-Card due to the delay and unreasonable conditions.

Most of the employers lose heart when they see the long and disorderly line of foreign workers accompanied by their employers in an almost endless wait. Can’t the government opt for an appointment procedure and also have more immigration departments and centres to register for the E-Card?

As such, most of the employers, especially from small enterprises and businesses, opt for the registration of their workers through the so-called registered companies that out-source workers also for exorbitant amounts. These companies provide the workers of the employers, unable to fulfill the conditions imposed, a way out by registering the workers under the company’s name and out-sourcing the workers.

A lot of employers, who cannot meet the stringent conditions of the Immigration department, have no way out. The unreasonable conditions are going to be the major hurdle in getting all the illegal workers registered. This year it is the E-Card, next year it could be some other process and these changing procedures are causing maximum confusion and worry to the employers and the workers.

Can’t the government come with one permanent logical system for the foreign workers?

One needs to visit the Immigration Department offices to find out the plight of the employers and the workers. There is simply no basis for most of the conditions and restrictions. If the aim of the government is to get all the workers registered, then the conditions should be flexible.

An employer with the business registration issued by the Companies Commission of Malaysia or SSM should be able to register the workers for the E card. There should be no need for licences, lease agreements, ownership title etc for an employer to register his workers. The more flexible the conditions, the easier more employers will register their workers and the government’s aim of documenting all illegal workers can be realised.

Due to the conditions imposed there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty, and this chaotic condition favors the companies that are out-sourcing the workers with the inside help of the Immigration Department.

It must be noted that it is equally illegal to get out-sourced workers from these companies as the government’s aim is to ensure that workers are registered under the name of the employer, and not the out-sourcing company. It is because of these restrictive conditions that employers are forced do this.

The government needs to come with an employer-friendly system that enables every worker to be documented this time around. This is the only way how the foreign workers problems plaguing the country for the last 25 years can be overcome.

The present prevailing system has spawned rampant corruption and abuse of power in the Immigration Department and other enforcement agencies, and helped middlemen with the right connections to profit and benefit from this chaotic system that has become part and parcel of the immigration department.

Many of the country’s problems can be traced to the inefficiency and incompetency of the Immigration department. It is time to thoroughly overhaul the Immigration Department’s handling of the foreign workers problem.

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