KUCHING: The Sarawak government has approved the implementation of the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK) 2.0 from July 26 to Dec 31 this year.
Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring), Datuk Gerawat Gala announced that the primary objective of RTK 2.0 is to regularise existing undocumented foreign workers (PATI) in Sarawak as legal foreign workers.
To participate in RTK 2.0, all eligible PATI and their respective employers must directly deal with the Immigration Department of Malaysia and the Labour Department in Sarawak.
“PATI eligible for registration under RTK 2.0 are foreign nationals who committed offences on or before Dec 31, 2022 under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, involving entering and staying in the country without valid documents, Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, involving overstaying, and Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, which pertains to violating passport conditions and possessing passports with a validity period of less than six (6) months,” Gerawat said in a statement issued by his office on Wednesday (July 26).
Employers operating in the ‘Dangerous, Difficult, and Dirty’ (3D) sectors are allowed to hire PATI during the implementation period of RTK 2.0. The sectors involved in RTK 2.0 are Manufacturing, Construction, Plantation, Agriculture, Service, Mining and Quarrying, and Foreign Domestic Helper.
It should be noted that only PATI from 16 specified source countries are eligible for RTK 2.0, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.
Employers seeking more information on the registration procedures under RTK 2.0 need to apply online through the portal of the Immigration Department of Malaysia at www.imi.gov.my
