Tools
Cost worksheet: hiring a foreign worker
From quota application through to a worker on site, itemised.
The short answer
Hiring a foreign worker costs a lot more than the levy. Your first year runs from the labour quota application through recruitment and the calling visa, medical screening, permit issue, insurance and the security bond, and then wages and accommodation on top. Every recruitment cost is yours. Pass any of it on to the worker and an auditor reads it as a forced labour indicator, whatever you meant by it.
| Cost | Paid by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Labour quota application Quoted per case | Employer | Filed before recruitment. A refusal is not refundable time. |
| Recruitment and source-country costs Quoted per case | Employer | Must not be charged to the worker, in whole or in part. |
| Calling visa Quoted per case | Employer | Issued against the approved quota for the named worker. |
| Annual levy Quoted per case | Employer | Rate varies by sector. |
| Security bond Quoted per case | Employer | Rate varies by nationality. |
| Medical screening Quoted per case | Employer | SAFHIS in Sarawak, FOMEMA in Peninsular Malaysia. Pre-departure and on arrival, then at renewal. |
| Insurance Quoted per case | Employer | Required cover for the permit term. |
| SOCSO contribution Quoted per case | Employer | Monthly. May not be deducted from wages. |
| Wages | Employer | At or above minimum wage where it applies, paid in full, on time and traceably. |
| Accommodation | Employer | Must meet the statutory standard. A common audit finding. |
Get this priced for your actual case
Send us the specifics and we will come back with an itemised written figure, and tell you if anything in it will not be approved.
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