Following the past report of Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia regarding the fact that numbers of fake work permit have been found and there have been many Thai workers who hold fake work permit, being arrested and taken legal actions at the Bukit Kayu Hitam’s Immigration Check Point, in Malaysia (the opposite of the Sadoa immigration check point),
Following the past report of Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia regarding the fact that numbers of fake work permit have been found and there have been many Thai workers who hold fake work permit, being arrested and taken legal actions at the Bukit Kayu Hitam’s Immigration Check Point, in Malaysia (the opposite of the Sadoa immigration check point),
Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia has further coordinated with Malaysian Immigration Office. It is noticed that fake work permit is the work of the group of people that has been supported by some rogue officials from the Malaysian Immigration Office. For example in the case where a Thai worker was found to possess fake work permit while he was trying to enter the Bukit Kayu Hitarn Immigration Check Point which was located in the opposite of the Sadao Immigration Check Point, Songhla (By land), the data was recorded, somehow, to use in a work permit application that he was entering the country through the KLIA Airport (By plane), which was mismatched with the matter of fact. At present the Immigration Office has set up the fact-finding unit to specially monitor the case to search for the offenders.
In the case of fake work permit, it is assumed that Thai workers are not involved. Some employers and entrepreneurs may also have mistakenly hired the agencies to do the paper works even though they have paid the fees and levy in according to the law. If it was found that these work permits were fake ones, the employees would also be prosecuted. Most of the fake work permits involve massage and spa business. This is because the Malaysia Authority is strict and does not allow for new quotas. Many of entrepreneurs often bring Thai workers to work before they begin to apply for work permit, which is an incorrect process.
Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia wants to note that workers have to make sure that they have been though these following steps:
1) Receive Calling Visa from the Malaysian Immigration Office
2) Apply for a 3 month Single Entry Visa with the Consulate or the Malaysia Embassy in Thailand
3) Pass medical check with one of the FOMEMA clinics (Foreign workers health screening unit in Malaysia)
In additional to this, they shall take further notice that:
1) On the Visit Pass (Temporary Employment) which is the stripe attached to the worker’s passport, there shall be the word GRATIS (free of charge) which represents the value of visa levy of Thai people. Fake work permit often shows the actual amount of value of visa levy.
2) From the word OCR which is shown in 2 lines at the end on the picture page of the E-Passport, the gap between two lines has to be according to ICAO standard (International Civil Aviation Organization) so that immigration officials of any country can verify it. It is noticed that the line on the stripe of fake work permit is much narrower than the usual one. If the official check by swiping the magnetic stripe, the data will not be read due to the fact that the gap between the lines has poor standard (You can compare to the gap between the lines in a passport with a work permit.)
Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia would like to warn those who want to travel to work in Malaysia to be careful and aware of these observations. If workers, who are already working in Malaysia, have a question about work permit, they can bring them to check at the Office of Labour Affairs in Malaysia.
