KUCHING: The state is developing a mobile application to cut the red tapes and expediting the application of work permits for foreign labourers.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said a special committee under Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) Datuk Gerawat Gala has been set up to scrutinise the procedure and overall process of work permit issuance.
“What happens now is that it takes quite a long time to issue a work permit because of the (existing) bureaucracy.
“Currently, (work permit application) involves the Immigration Department and the Labour Department before going through the State Secretary’s office.
“So, what we do now is we have a common platform through one (mobile) application and all work permit applications can be processed through this,” he said in his speech at the Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (SHEDA) Annual Dinner and Excellence Award Ceremony held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), last night.
He said Gerawat, who is the deputy minister in charge, will bring in members of the construction, manufacturing and plantation industry as part of the committee in light of their established involvement in recruiting foreign workers.
“With this new approach undertaken by the state government, we hope that the time taken to issue work permits can be expedited,” he added.
Abang Johari emphasised that the state is putting in the efforts to ease the process of recruiting foreign workers including expatriates.
If the construction industry has certain special, high positions requiring expatriate officers, he said, the state government has also changed its policy to allow the period of work permit issued to expatriates to be extended to five years, from the original one-year period.
“In other words, the expatriate officers and executives will be given a five-year-stay work permit in Sarawak.
“This is so that they will not be required to go and renew their work permit annually and the state Cabinet has consented to this work permit procedure for expatriate officers,” he explained.
