Nine steps. Months, not weeks.
Sabah State Administrative Centre under construction
Construction sector
All nine steps, starting before quota.
Nine steps, and the honest answer on timing is months, not weeks. We publish it because if you know the order, nobody can sell you a shortcut. And because step one is something you can start yourself this week, for free.
- 01
Advertise the role to Malaysians
EmployerRuns for a minimum period
This is step one, not quota. Advertise the job on MYFutureJobs, interview the Malaysians who apply, and record what happened. It has to run for a minimum time and nobody can shorten it. It is free and needs no agent — which makes it a better use of this week than shopping for one.
- 02
Get prior approval under Section 60K
Employer, to JTKSMBefore you hire anyone
JTKSM states that Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955, in force from 1 January 2023, requires employers to get prior approval before employing foreign workers. This is where most applications get stuck.
- 03
Apply under the FWe module
Employer, in FWCMSBefore you can touch quota
This is the step most people miss. MBAM's circular is explicit: employers must first apply under the Foreign Worker Employment (FWe) module, and only once that is approved may they apply for quota. You cannot start at eQuota. Company documents go in here — SSM, EPF, SOCSO.
- 04
Apply for quota in FWCMS eQuota
Employer, in your own company's nameWeeks
Only after FWe is approved. Since 6 July 2026 every quota application goes through KESUMA's eQuota module and case-by-case approval is gone. You justify the headcount against your sector and your project. There is nobody to chase and nothing to escalate, so the file has to be right the first time.
- 05
The decision
KESUMA, KDN, JTKSM and ImmigrationNot published
Approval is not automatic. It is weighed against sector caps, whether the country actually needs the workers, your own compliance history, and whether your documents hold up. Four agencies are involved and they do not fix an incomplete file for you. A weak file costs a full cycle.
- 06
Pay the levy and lodge the security bond
Employer, direct to the portalAfter approval — see note
You do not pay the levy first. Nothing is due before quota approval. Construction levy is RM1,850 per worker per year, plus a RM1,500 security bond per worker. Published sources disagree on the exact point it falls due — some say before the calling visa, some say after the worker arrives and passes the medical — so we have logged that as an open question rather than guess. You pay it yourself, in your company's name. No adviser or agent should collect it for you, us included.
- 07
Calling visa, recruitment and medicals
Licensed agencyWeeks
The calling visa goes through Immigration. The licensed agency handles recruiting and medical checks overseas. Hiring costs belong to the employer. If a deal charges the worker, walk away.
- 08
Arrival, permit and accommodation
Employer and agency4–6 weeks typical
Workers arrive, complete post-arrival medicals, and permits are issued. Accommodation must meet the required standards from day one, not from the first inspection. Non-compliance is assessed against the employer, with penalties reaching RM50,000 per worker.
- 09
Keep the file for renewal
EmployerOngoing
Permits, levy receipts, housing certificates, medical records. Keep them tidy — not because of inspections, but because renewing is far cheaper than starting again.
Since 6 July 2026 foreign worker quota applications are managed centrally by KESUMA through the FWCMS eQuota module, and manual case-by-case approval has been discontinued. Source, checked 14 August 2026. Stage 2 is described without naming a fixed period or form because we do not yet hold a primary source for it — that question is published as open in our log. Reviewed 14 August 2026.
Where you are in this
The check tells you which step you are really on.
Most contractors think they are one or two steps further along than they are, because the steps start earlier than the part everyone talks about.