Wisma Putra: Always apply for the correct visas

PETALING JAYA: The people have been advised to apply for appropriate visas according to the purpose of their visit before travelling abroad.

Wisma Putra said Malaysians planning to work abroad must go through the legal channel and comply with procedures of that particular country, including obtaining a valid working permit or visa.

“The Foreign Ministry advises Malaysians not to be lured by job offers abroad prior to obtaining a valid working permit or visa,” it said in a statement yesterday.

Wisma Putra said the statement was in response to a report published by The Star yesterday on an estimated 5,000 Malaysians working and staying illegally in South Korea.

The report stated that many Malaysians had paid recruitment agents thousands of ringgit in fees and entered the country on tourist visas after being lured by job advertisements and lucrative salary offers.

Star Media Group’s Bahasa Malaysia news portal mStar Online, which sent a team to South Korea to look into their plight, found many of these Malaysians stranded and destitute.

Their problems, first highlighted by mStar Online in a series of special reports in association with The Korea Herald in January, ranged from suffering permanent disability after workplace accidents to being left broke and homeless when they were fired by their employers.

Wisma Putra advised Malaysians to send enquiries to the respective Malaysian diplomatic missions abroad.

Contact details can be accessed at www.kln.gov.my.