PETALING JAYA: Employers who need to renew their maids’ work permits now have to do it using the Immigration Department’s online system or through a licensed and approved agency.
The service is no longer available on the MyEG egovernment service provider platform, say industry players. The renewal application on MyEG’s portal has been inaccessible for weeks now.
Employers cannot renew the permits over the counter at the Immigration Department either.
The Immigration Department’s ePLKS system is the only way to do so online, provided that the maid’s passport is valid for at least 18 months. Otherwise, an agent will be needed.
Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama) president Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein said there is no need to go through the agency if the maid’s passport validity is more than 18 months. He said some employers still prefer using agents as they would handle the entire process.
Ahmad Fauzi also advised employers to always check if an agency is registered under the Labour Department’s website before using their services.
Association of Employment Agencies Malaysia (Papa) vice-president Suresh Tan said employers could no longer renew permits over the counter but added that it is faster to renew the permit online.
“The process has been more efficient since it was introduced early this year,” he said, referring to the Immigration Department’s ePLKS system.
Suresh added that renewing a maid's permit ranges from RM800 to RM1,000, depending on their country of origin.
An additional RM300 will also be charged for the agency's services.
“The process involves registering for an account, applying for a permit extension, uploading the necessary documents and submitting the application.
“After making the online payment, the employer will receive the temporary working visit pass,” he said.
Tan also called for a comprehensive central recruitment system for employers to hire new maids more easily.
“It should fully belong to the government and not involve any third party that can be biased in the recruitment process,” he said.
In recent months, there have been complaints by employers who ran into problems when renewing their maids’ permits.
While some were unsuccessful despite submitting all the relevant documents and making the payment at the MyEG platform, some were told to go through an agent after queuing up for hours at the Immigration office.
Some also complained of having to fork out more money, paying over RM300 for the agent.
MyEG, meanwhile, said it is unable to issue a comment on the matter at this stage.
The Star has since reached out to the Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh’s office for comments.
Malaysian National Association Employment Agencies (Pikap) deputy chairman Mohd Ridzuan Abdul Jalil said some immigration offices had told employers to go to agents to have their maids’ permits renewed.
“Usually, this involved employers whose maids’ passports are valid for less than 18 months,” he said.
“Employers will need the agents to help renew the maid’s passport before getting the embassy’s approval for the work contract.”
Mohd Ridzuan said the work contract, which is a requirement following a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the employment and protection of Indonesian domestic servants signed between Malaysia and Indonesia on April 1, 2022, is necessary for the maid’s permit renewal.
“The embassy does not usually entertain employers who walk in, due to their heavy workload.
“This is where the licensed and approved agencies come in.”
He also said that when a maid’s passport is renewed for 10 years, it would be easier for employers and Immigration when renewing the work permit later on.
Mohd Ridzuan, who runs an agency in Shah Alam, said employers would have to pay a service fee of between RM500 and RM1,000 for the services.
“The agencies act as the facilitator between the embassy, employers and maids, which will do their best to solve the problems for employers,” he said.
Pikap is made up of employment agencies licensed under the Human Resource Ministry.
