Indonesian employment agencies are against the increase in visa processing fees and say they may stop sending workers to Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 28, 2015.Indonesian employment agency operators have threatened to stop sending workers to Malaysia following a drastic hike in visa processing fees under a new system outsourced to Bestinet Sdn Bhd.The Star reported that Malaysian visa fees for Indonesians had been increased from RM15 to RM250 under the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), which Putrajaya has outsourced to Bestinet, a private firm now in the limelight because of its directors who are closely linked to the federal government.The steep hikes had upset the agencies' operators, who threatened to stop sending workers to Malaysia.The English daily said Asosiasi Perusahaan Jasa Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (Apjati), the body that represents over 500 agencies, has written to the Indonesian Parliament as well as the republic's Human Resources and Foreign ministries, urging an immediate halt on sending workers to Malaysia.“We strongly reject the increase in fees. It is an exploitation of our citizens. Such an increase must be done through an agreement between both governments.“Malaysia should have negotiated with our government first," Apjati president Ayub Basalamah was quoted as saying.“What is worse is that, in addition to paying the new RM230 processing fee, the previous RM15 and other minor charges, we have to provide details of our workers to a private company instead of to the Malaysian embassy."The additional fees are a "huge burden" to Indonesians looking to either work or study in Malaysia, he added.The Star said Apjati is the largest association of private recruitment agencies in Indonesia, with its members sending more than 150,000 Indonesians to work in Malaysia each year.The hikes mean an additional cost of about RM34.5 million per year.Indonesians wanting to work or study in Malaysia are required to apply for a Visa with Reference (VDR) or more popularly known as "calling visa".With the exception of domestic maids, the visa fees are borne by the Indonesian workers and not by their employers.The Star cited Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim as saying that the embassy had been instructed by the Home Ministry to outsource the visa processing.Zahrain was quoted acknowledging the complaints about higher visa fees from workers groups as well as students wanting to study in Malaysia, since the new system took effect in December.He said the steep increase in fees was "fair" as the company had to cover costs, which included conducting background checks to prevent fraud.Unhappiness over Bestinet being given the task of visa renewals and processing previously done by the Immigration department, has deepened following revelations that the private firm's directors were former home minister Tan Sri Azmi Khalid and Datuk Tengku Omar Tengku Bot, who was previously director of the Labour Department.The FWCMS is a website handled by Bestinet, which will also handle online applications for foreign workers, their electronic temporary working permits (ePLKS), biometric health checkups and insurance, among others.All health check-up centres in the source countries, where the workers are from, are also compelled to use the Bestinet system.The arrangement had reportedly caused tension among labour agencies and the Nepali government when they were informed that they had to use the new system. – January 28, 2015.
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