Datuk Gerawat Gala said RTK 2.0 is being implemented starting today until Dec 31, 2023. — Bernama photo
MIRI (July 26): The Sarawak government has agreed to adopt the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK) 2.0 to regularise illegal immigrants in the state as legal workers, said Datuk Gerawat Gala.
The Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) said RTK 2.0 is being implemented starting today until Dec 31, 2023.
“The implementation of the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK) 2.0 in the state is subject to the conditions set by the Sarawak government through the Malaysian Immigration Department in collaboration with the Department of Labour and other government agencies, without vendor or third party involvement,” he said in a statement.
He said all illegal immigrants and employers intending to participate in the programme are required to deal directly with the Immigration Department and Sarawak Labour Department.
On January 10 this year, the federal government announced the implementation of RTK 2.0 and Relaxation Plan for Hiring Foreign Workers, as a measure to meet the needs of employers in various economic sectors.
According to the statement, RTK 2.0 covers foreign citizens who have committed an offence on or before Dec 31, 2022, by entering and living in Malaysia without having a valid pass which is an offence under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63; overstaying under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63; and violating their pass conditions under Rule 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
The applicants must have at least six months’ validity period of their travel document, it added.
It also stated that employers who operate in the 3D (dangerous, difficult and dirty) sectors are allowed to take in illegal immigrants by registering them as employees during the implementation period.
The sectors involved are manufacturing, construction, plantation, agriculture, services, mining and quarrying, and foreign domestic workers.
The Sarawak government only allows applicants from 16 source countries, namely Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.
Gerawat, however, said applications are subject to changes to the eligibility requirements set in this programme.
He advised employers to take up this opportunity to register and legalise illegal immigrants who are working in all economic sectors in the state.
To register for RTK 2.0, employers must apply online through the Immigration Department’s website www.imi.gov.my and scroll down to ‘Recalibration Portal’.
No deposit payment will be charged to the employer for the registration process, while verification will be undertaken by the state Immigration Department’s enforcement division.
Employers are required to obtain Approval in Principle (AP) for Employment of Foreign Employees and Employment Licence under Section 119 of the Sarawak Labour Ordinance from the state Labour Department.
Employers must also be present at the Immigration Department’s Foreign Workers Division after documentation is completed.