Make it easier to apply for permits, says Presma

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan.

PETALING JAYA: Members of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) have expressed frustration with the burdensome process of obtaining permits for their foreign workers, says its president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan.

“This has been going on for months. Many of our members have requested our help in highlighting the situation with the Home Ministry,” he said.

One of the issues raised was that the applicants were concerned about losing their queue number by 9am, which was why they rushed to the immigration office, he added.

“When the shutters of the Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam open, people will rush and push each other,” he said, adding that this could be unsafe, especially for some elderly employers.

The Selangor Immigration headquarters is located on the second floor of the Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam.

He said when people reach the office, there was usually a long queue already.

“If they are lucky, they will get a number; otherwise, they will have to return another day to repeat the process.”

Citing past experiences, Jawahar said the rush was “expected”, as many approvals had been given out by the government and employers had been bringing in foreign workers.

“They have to go to Immigration to sort out all the documents, special passes and other requirements by the government.”

In light of the country’s move to digitalisation and paperless practices, he questioned why these applicants were still required to bring all documents to the Immigration office when it could be done online.

“For example, after the worker’s Visa with Reference (VDR) is approved online, payment of visa fees and printing of the VDR can be done online.

“But now we have to make payments at the counter first and come back for collection another day.

“We received complaints that there are two payment counters, and most of the time only one is functioning,” he claimed, adding that Presma had highlighted the issue with the ministry.

Jawahar also suggested that the Selangor Immigration Department office relocate to more suitable premises.