Kuching: I urge the Sarawak Government to immediately take the necessary action to resolve the ongoing chaos surrounding the implementation of the Household and Assistance Vetting & Employment Network (HAVEN) submodule under the Sansol Foreign Worker Transformation and Administration (FWTA) system.
Despite the official circular dates of 22 May 2026 from the Immigration and Labour Management Unit (ILMU) under the Department of the Premier Sarawak directing that all new and renewal applications for Foreign Domestic Helpers (PRA) be processed entirely through HAVEN, the system is clearly not ready, leaving families, employers, and foreign domestic helpers caught in an administrative nightmare that could and should have been avoided.
Unfortunately, the situation on the ground paints a very different picture.
It is understood those who urgently need to employ or renew the work permits of their foreign domestic helpers are now unable to do so because the HAVEN system is not functioning as it should. Yet ILMU proceeded to make the system compulsory. This has left countless employers in limbo, with no clear solution, no alternative process, and no certainty as to when their applications can proceed.
Why make a system mandatory when it is incapable of processing the very applications it was intended to handle?
The situation has become increasingly frustrating for the public. When employers approach the Sarawak Immigration Department, they are told to refer the matter to ILMU. When they seek clarification from ILMU, they receive no practical solution. Instead, the rakyat are being sent on a merry-go-round between government agencies while their applications remain stalled.
Even more alarming, applications submitted in April and May have reportedly been returned, leaving employers with no certainty and no avenue to proceed.
HAVEN is not a standalone system. It forms part of the Sansol Foreign Worker Transformation and Administration (FWTA) project, which has already attracted serious public concern over its implementation. If the system was not ready, why was it rolled out as a mandatory requirement? Why was proper testing, user acceptance and operational readiness not completed before employers were forced to use it?
The Sarawak Government also owes the people an immediate explanation as to why were applications submitted in April and May being returned unprocessed? Why are employers being sent from the Immigration Department to ILMU, with neither agency taking ownership or responsibility for resolving the problem? Does the Sarawak Government actually know what is happening on the ground? How many more families must suffer because of poor planning and a system that was launched before it was fit for purpose? Enough of passing the buck.
The Sarawak Government must stop launching half-baked digital systems at the expense of the rakyat and must address this issue immediately.
Meanwhile, a workable interim solution must be put in place for all pending and rejected applications to ensure that no employer or family is unfairly penalised because of failures within the Sarawak Government’s own system.
Violet Yong
ADUN for Pending
29 June 2026
