JAKARTA - Malaysia’s Human Resources Ministry plans a transit centre for 1,000 to 2,000 foreign workers entering the country, the state-owned broadcaster RTM said on July 6. 

The proposed Foreign Workers Transit Centre would hold workers temporarily before they are handed to employers. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said KESUMA would refine the proposal with source countries through existing diplomatic channels and study practices used in Singapore, South Korea and several West Asian countries. 

Ramanan said the centre is “not a permanent placement or a detention centre. Once all employer and worker documents are complete, they will be allowed to leave immediately.” 

The proposal would sit on top of Malaysia’s current entry rules for foreign workers. The Immigration Department says foreign workers may enter only through designated entry points using a Visa With Reference issued by the department and an entry visa issued by Malaysia’s mission in the source country. Employers must ensure clearance within six hours of arrival. 

The Immigration Department also says foreign workers must undergo a medical examination within 30 days at a FOMEMA-registered health centre before the Visit Pass Temporary Employment is issued. Workers found medically unfit must be sent back to their origin country through a Check Out Memo application. 

Malaysia’s labour rules place the first approval gate on employers. The Labour Department says Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955, in force from January 1, 2023, requires employers to obtain prior approval before hiring foreign workers, covering all non-citizen workers under the Act’s definition. The rule applies to new recruitment.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in its International Migration Statistics, Malaysia, 2025, released on December 24, 2025, that Malaysia had an estimated 3.38 million non-citizens in 2025. Working-age non-citizens, aged 15 to 64, accounted for 79.8 percent, or 2.70 million people. 

Malaysia’s official source-country list includes Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, the Philippines and India, with nationality and sector restrictions for some groups.

RTM said Ramanan also warned that action would continue against employers that fail to provide regulated accommodation, especially where workers end up in illegal settlements.