Manpower dispute halts new Malaysia visa process

The process of sending new Nepali workers to Malaysia has been halted after a dispute over the selection of manpower companies went unresolved.

Malaysia's Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) stopped registering new workers' biomedical checks from Asoj 15, meaning calling visas cannot be issued.

Malaysia has set up a structure of 25 main recruitment agencies, each overseeing 250 sub-agencies, but Nepal has not approved this arrangement. Nepal had proposed listing nearly 1,100 of its licensed, active manpower companies as main agencies.

However, Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resources rejected Nepal's proposal in a letter sent on October 6 to Labour, Employment and Social Security Minister Ramji Yadav, saying the existing arrangement would remain in place.

Malaysia says the new system was introduced to make worker recruitment transparent, safe and accountable. The Nepali side has expressed dissatisfaction that Malaysia has selected only a limited number of manpower companies.

Nepal has written to Malaysia seeking talks on worker recruitment. Malaysia is one of the major foreign employment destinations for Nepali youths.