UNB, Dhaka :
Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Hamzah bin Zainudin is likely to arrive in Dhaka on January 25 on a three-day visit to discuss issues of mutual interests with Bangladesh.
He will visit Bangladesh at the invitation of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad.
During his visit, the Malaysian minister will also hold a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan apart from his meeting with Imran Ahmad on January 26.
Hamzah will also attend a session of Bangladesh foreign workers’ agencies and visit Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Center.
The minister will join a dinner of the Malaysian diaspora in Dhaka during his stay.
The entry of foreign workers for all employment sectors was approved by the Malaysian Cabinet meeting on December 10, last year.
This entry will be opened to all sectors – allowed for the employment of foreign workers – namely agriculture, manufacturing, services, mining and quarrying, construction and domestic servants.
Previously, approval was given for the entry of 32,000 foreign workers for the plantation sector with special exemptions.
The Malaysian government advised the employers not to make any payment through intermediaries or third parties for the purpose of speeding up the application process as its cabinet recently approved the entry of foreign workers for all employment sectors.
“This is to prevent fraud by irresponsible parties,” said Malaysian Minister for Human Resources M Saravanan in a media statement on recruitment and employment of foreign workers.
The minister also reminded employers – who want to employ foreign workers – to submit their own applications based on the actual needs of foreign workers.
Employers who use the services of private employment agencies must also ensure that the agency is registered and has a license certified by the Department of Manpower Peninsular Malaysia under the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981, according to the statement.
All these admissions must comply with the standing operating procedure (SOP) for the admission of foreign workers which was approved by the Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet Meeting on 14 December 2021, it added.
The minister will make an announcement in the near future on the date of applications that can be submitted by employers online for the process of hiring foreign workers for each sector of employment allowed from the source country.