Employment agencies threaten to stop sending Indonesian workers

No labour from neighbour?: Over 150,000 Indonesians come to Malaysia to work each year. But the sharp rise in visa processing fees may cause the steady supply to cease. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star

PETALING JAYA: The visa-processing fee for Indonesian workers headed to Malaysia has seen a steep hike – from RM15 to RM250 – and angry employment agency operators have threatened to stop sending workers here.

Asosiasi Perusahaan Jasa Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (Apjati), which represents over 500 agencies, has written to the Indonesian Parliament and the country’s Human Resources and Foreign ministries, calling for an immediate halt to the sending of workers to Malaysia.