While digitisation is a welcomed effort by the Sarawak government to introduce more transparency, efficiency and border safeguards in Sarawak, the existing digital migration has lead to two major implication for employers hiring domestic helpers in Sarawak. (1) Increased cost by approximately RM2,000 to hire one domestic helper and (2) Longer approval timelines due to a complete overhaul of previous approval processes.
With these new changes in place, Sarawak employers are set to incur the highest cost in Malaysia to hire a domestic helper, adding more financial burden to households for access to essential care services at home. Secondly, the complete overhaul of the previous approval process has added more bureaucracy and restriction to hiring a domestic helper in Sarawak. This mean employers in Sarawak will face more restriction and must wait longer compared to their West Malaysian counterparts for the placement of a domestic helper.
What are these new changes?
Under the Foreign Worker Transformation Approach (FWTA) introduced by the Sarawak government earlier in 2025, the plan sets to modernise and digitise Sarawak's immigration system that has remained manual until this year. There are a lot of new abbreviations that employers must now be aware of, whether they are hiring domestic helpers, foreign workers or expatriates in Sarawak.
| Abbreviation | What it stands for? | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SANSOLS | Sarawak Advanced Non-Sarawakian Online System | The online platform for corporate employers to apply for Approval in Principle (AP)/ Labour Quota and to apply for Calling Visas for Foreign Workers |
| ALIANCE | Advanced Labour and Immigration Network Aligned Network for Compliance | A task force to oversee the digital migration, assist clients with technical issues, and physical customer service counters allowing walk ins for pick ups of ID cards |
| SAFHIS | Sarawak Foreigners Health Information System | A centralised medical panel system to monitor medical screening for non-resident workers in Sarawak |
| HAVEN | Household and Assistance Vetting & Employment Network | An online platform for the State approval, Labour Quota approval and Calling Visa approval for foreign domestic helpers |
| EXPRT | Expatriate Platform for Recruitment and Talent | An online platform for company registration, and expatriate visa application in Sarawak |
What is the new application process?
To hire a domestic helper, the process will eventually start on the HAVEN system. The three step process involving the (1) State Approval (2) Household Labour Quota and (3) Calling Visa will be managed entirely on HAVEN. We anticipate the system will run more smoothly in the future, but current processing times are between 5 to 8 months. This is a significant increase from the previous processing timelines which was about 1 month for Indonesian domestic helpers, and 3 months for Filipino domestic helpers. In the future, domestic helpers will also be required to complete their medical screening with SAFHIS accredited panel clinics and hospitals only. It is expected that SAFHIS and HAVEN will be integrated to ease the permit endorsement process for domestic helpers in the future.
New Indicative Costs Applicable from 1 January 2026
These fees are charged per worker and are separate from agency fees, insurance, levy, salary, and medical tests.
| Fee Type | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Approval in Principle (AP) / Quota | Permission to hire | RM950/ per headcount allocation |
| Labour Licence | State labour approval | RM335/ per worker |
| Visa With Reference (VDR) | Entry visa approval | RM215/ per visa |
| SAFHIS Registration | Medical data registration | RM30/ per worker |
| SAFHIS | Medical report | RM400/ per medical examination |
| Worker System ID (FWID) | Digital worker ID | RM324/ per worker |
| Total | RM1930 per worker (excluding applicable SST) |
Any submission of domestic helper applications from 1 January 2026 is likely to incur the above costs. These costs are in addition to existing government levies which are currently RM610 for Indonesian domestic helpers (1st worker) and RM630 for Filipino domestic helpers (1st worker). It is unclear whether these are recurring costs for permit renewals, but they appear to be one time fees at present.
However, if you are hiring a new worker or applying for a replacement worker due to the failure of your first placement, you will incur these costs again because they apply to every new application.
Market Implications for Sarawakian Employers
Currently, in addition to the highest costs imposed on Sarawakian employers, the long and bureaucratic process also deters good workers and supply agencies from coming to this market. Overtime, Sarawakian employers will pay the most in the region for the least qualified domestic helpers. Only less desirable first time workers can be placed in this market, and at a high cost, as this pool of workers will come from more rural areas, requiring more financing and training to access overseas jobs.
The restrictive policies in Sarawak are two-fold. Firstly, with restrictive and more stringent entry requirements. And secondly, with the lack of transfer policies, necessitating qualified and committed helpers to be sent home even when the circumstances of the termination are not attributable to the helper. This can involve situations where the employer's financial situation, hiring needs or preferences have changed. The lack of transfer policies also limits the mitigation possibilities for employers to get refunds as any termination will result in sunken costs.
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