Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the department had found that several foreign workers’ housing conditions and amenities did not comply with the minimum standards under the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities (Amendment) Act 2019 (Act 446).

He said the proposal would be submitted to the home ministry, the human resources ministry and the manpower department (JTK) for discussion before the preparation of guidelines and SOPs (standard operating procedures).

“Based on this new policy, employers must comply with Act 446 by obtaining a certificate from the JTK.

“It is only employers with this certificate who can be allowed to bring in foreign workers or renew the temporary employment visit passes of existing workers,” he told a press conference at Eco Majestic, Semenyih, near here, early this morning.

Khairul said that if the proposal was accepted and enforced next year, it would apply to  new foreign workers in all sectors.

“The department will first refine the proposal before tabling it to higher levels for discussion and to get approval. We should not allow employers to provide unsuitable living conditions for their employees,” he said.

Meanwhile, 297 foreigners, including 112 Indonesians, Bangladeshi (95), Myanmar (66), Vietnamese (13) and Ghanaian (one) nationals, were detained following a raid on a workers’ housing settlement at 1am today.

Khairul said the operation was the result of public complaints about overcrowded housing for foreigners in the area, which did not comply with hygiene standards and had breached Act 446.

He said the foreigners who have been detained for investigations under Section 6 (1)(C) for not possessing valid documents and Section 15 (1)(C) for overstaying, will be placed at the Semenyih immigration detention depot.

The detainees will first be taken to the Putrajaya and Seremban district health centres for Covid-19 screening, he added.