KUCHING: Employers in Sarawak better get their foreign workers legalised or send them home before April 1 — or face the music.
Immigration director Datuk Robert Lian said the department would launch its “Blue Sky” operation to nab employers who still kept their illegal foreign workers after the amnesty period ended on March 31.
He warned that the operation, which would involve relevant government departments including the police and military personnel, as well as Rela, would go after the employers first.
He believed that the illegal employment of foreigners could be eliminated by cracking down on employers besides arresting the illegal immigrant workers themselves.
“In fact, the employers are the ones who commit more offences. They harbour the illegal immigrants and in doing so, evade paying the levies on foreign workers,” he told a press conference at his office here yesterday.
Levies on foreign workers in the state range from RM410 to RM1,490 a year depending on which sector they are in.
Robert said employers were given until March 31 to apply from the state Immigration Department the visit pass temporary appointments (VPTA) for their illegal foreign workers who were registered under the biometric system last year.
He reminded that employers must first get the labour recruiting licence (LRL) from the state Labour Department before they could apply for the VPTA.
He further clarified that under the exercise, only Indonesians could be recruited and not other foreigners.
Robert said employers in the state must not assume that the Government would extend the deadline for them to deal with the matter.
“We have given employers enough time to legalise their registered (but illegal) foreign workers or send them home. Do not anticipate any extension of the deadline,” he said.
Robert also warned all illegal foreign workers who had registered themselves under the 6P programmes to leave the country voluntarily before April 1.
He said those who left the state voluntarily during the period would not be arrested and charged in court.
He also said that the registered illegal foreign workers from Indonesia could apply to work in Sarawak through their employers but that other nationals must leave the state voluntarily.
“Indonesians, whose applications to work in Sarawak were rejected by the Labour Department must also leave the state voluntarily before March 31. So far, we have 80 applications for the VPTA,” he said.
Robert said registered illegal Indonesian workers aged between 13 and 17 must leave the state voluntarily as well.
He said if they were below 12 years old their parents must apply for social visit passes for them.
By theStarOnline
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