Violet Yong. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (June 29): The Sarawak government has been urged to resolve the ongoing problems surrounding the implementation of the Household and Assistance Vetting and Employment Network (HAVEN) submodule under the Sarawakian and Non-Sarawakian Online Labour System (Sansols) Foreign Worker Transformation Approach (FWTA) system.
In making the call, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong said the system was clearly not ready, leaving families, employers and foreign domestic helpers caught in what she described as an administrative nightmare that could have been avoided.
She said this was despite an official circular dated May 22, 2026, from the Immigration and Labour Management Unit (ILMU) under the Premier’s Department, directing that all new and renewal applications for foreign domestic helpers (PRA) be processed entirely through HAVEN.
“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 PRA 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,” she said in a statement on Monday.
Yong thus queried why the Sarawak government made a system mandatory when it was incapable of processing the applications it was intended to handle.
She said the situation had become increasingly frustrating when employers who approached the Sarawak Immigration Department were told to refer the matter to ILMU.
She added that employers received no practical solution when they sought clarification from ILMU.
“Instead, they are 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,” she said.
According to Yong, HAVEN is not a standalone system but forms part of the Sansols FWTA project, which has already attracted serious public concern over its implementation.
She questioned why the system was made mandatory if it was not ready.
She also asked whether proper testing, user acceptance and operational readiness had been completed before employers were required to use it.
Yong stessed that the state government must stop launching what she claimed to be half-baked digital systems at the expense of the people 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,” she said.
