Before arrival vs. after arrival
The process has a clean split. Everything in steps one to four happens while the worker is still in their home country — you secure the quota, the visa, and pay the up-front charges. Steps five and six happen on Malaysian soil — the medical, the work pass, and the recurring obligations that run for as long as you employ the worker.
The backbone below is the same across sectors, but a few steps diverge — construction routes its applications differently, and plantation and agriculture quotas are assessed case-by-case. Those divergences are flagged as callouts on the relevant step. Costs vary by sector and region, so use the calculator to estimate your specific total.
The six steps to a compliant hire
1. Confirm eligibility and source country
Foreign-worker recruitment is governed by bilateral memoranda of understanding, so which countries you may recruit from depends on your sector. Not every approved source country is open to every sector, and the list changes — confirm the current sector-by-country position before you commit to a recruitment channel.[3]
IndiaIndia is approved only for services, construction, agriculture and plantation roles — not manufacturing. If you are a manufacturer, India is not an eligible source country for your workers.[3]
2. Get the foreign-worker quota approved
Before you can recruit anyone, you need an approved quota — the number of foreign workers you are permitted to employ. The quota is approved through the One Stop Centre (OSC) under the Ministry of Human Resources, and you apply with documents establishing your business and your genuine need for foreign labour.[1]
ConstructionConstruction employers do not apply through the general channel: applications for foreign construction workers are handled through the Construction Labour Exchange Centre Berhad (CLAB).[4]
Plantation & agriculturePlantation and agriculture quotas are assessed case-by-case through the Ministry of Home Affairs One Stop Centre, and only after you have shown that efforts to recruit local citizens and permanent residents have failed.[6]
3. Apply for the Visa with Reference (VDR) through FWCMS
With the quota in hand, you apply for each worker's Visa with Reference (VDR) online through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) while the worker is still abroad. The VDR is the approval the worker needs to enter Malaysia for employment.[2]
4. Pay the levy and lodge the security bond
The annual foreign-worker levy is your largest recurring government cost and is set by sector and region — see the full rate table in our foreign-worker levy guide. Alongside the levy you lodge a security bond, usually a refundable banker's guarantee, before the worker enters the country.
5. The worker enters Malaysia and passes FOMEMA
Once the VDR is issued the worker travels to Malaysia, and within the required window must pass a FOMEMA medical screening. If the worker is found unfit, they cannot be issued a work pass and must be repatriated — so the medical is a genuine gate, not a formality.[7]
6. Issue the PLKS pass and stay compliant
After FOMEMA, the worker is issued the PLKS / VP(TE) work pass. From here the obligations are recurring: annual pass renewal, the levy, mandatory insurance, EPF and SOCSO contributions, and accommodation that meets the Act 446 standards. Missing any of these puts the worker's legal status — and your quota — at risk.[8]
ConstructionBefore a construction worker can work on site they must hold a CIDB Green Card (Construction Personnel Card), which CLAB facilitates.[5]