Malaysia bans entry of migrant workers from May 18

Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs has set a deadline for employer companies to bring in the required migrant workers before May 31. It has also been mentioned that if the employer company does not use the quota allowed to bring migrant workers, it should be canceled within that date. Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs has said that visas for migrant workers should be issued by May 17. "Migrant workers will not be allowed to enter Malaysia after May 31," Malaysian Home Minister Seri Saifuddin Nasusan Ismail said at a press conference held on Friday in the Malaysian city of Putrajaya. "The limit on the number of foreign workers set by the government has been reached."

According to Home Minister Ismail, Malaysia has adopted a policy of keeping only 15 percent of its total workforce from foreign workers. Malaysia has a labor force of 17 million. According to which the maximum number of foreign labor force is 25 lakh 50 thousand. As of last February, the number of such foreign workers in Malaysia has reached 2133 thousand 931 people, according to government data. From January 17 to March 23, the remaining 4 lakh 12 thousand 11 people have been given permission to bring in new migrant workers. "The quota set for foreign workers will be completed by March 31," said Ismail. After a long time, the quota of foreign workers has been completed in Malaysia. Employers have not been able to provide work since the economic recession has affected Malaysia's manufacturing and service sectors. As the employer cannot give overtime, the workers are forced to work for a minimum wage of 1500 ringgit.

Home Minister Ismail said that keeping in mind the issue of national security, the government has to set a deadline for bringing foreign workers in the formal sector. The purpose of setting this deadline is also to stop the exploitation of foreign workers. Which has been widely publicized before," he said. Currently, the number of unemployed people in Malaysia is increasing. Bengalis constitute the largest number of migrant workers in Malaysia. Migrant workers who come to Malaysia by paying high cost fees are unable to find jobs with decent wages. According to Home Minister Ismail, the policy of not bringing in foreign workers will help in correctly assessing the need for foreign labor in the country. "This will also give the government time to properly manage foreign workers," he said.

There are about 5 lakh Nepali workers in Malaysia including security guards, tourism sector, furniture, cleaning and small industrial production. After the labor agreement with zero cost in 2075, Malaysia has been giving priority to Nepal. The then labor minister Gokarn Bista signed the agreement with Malaysia so that the workers do not have to bear any financial burden during the recruitment process. Before the agreement, they used to charge around 17,000 rupees from the workers for using the services of Malaysian mechanisms in Kathmandu for visa processing. After the agreement, the mechanism of biometric technology like finger print and retina test was removed. 36 health institutions were also given the right to conduct health examinations. In Nepal, there is a provision to inquire about the fee for the health examination in the first month after the worker arrives in Malaysia.

When Ismail, who came to Kathmandu on 18th January 2079, said that he prioritized Nepali workers in a meeting with the then Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Dol Prasad Aryal (again in charge from 22nd February). Malaysia became the first destination for Nepalese workers last year when job opportunities in the Gulf were shrinking. Last year, 219,000 Nepalis came to Malaysia for employment. The five-year agreement with Malaysia has ended on October 12.