KOTA KINABALU: All foreign worker agencies in the state are urged to be more responsible when dealing with problems involving immigration procedures for their clients.
In making the call, Sabah Immigration Director Mohammad Mentak expressed disappointment with certain agencies who indiscriminately blamed the department for problems which they (agencies) themselves created.
He said many foreign workers in the state encountered problems with immigration procedures because the agencies that they engaged with simply did not honour the services promised to their clients.
“This has been happening for quite some time and frankly speaking it is not fair that we are the one to blame.
“We have entertained complaints from numerous applicants whose visa renewals were rejected.
“And after investigating their cases, we discovered that it was the agencies that failed to comply with our regulations that caused the rejections,” Mohammad told The Borneo Post this in an exclusive interview yesterday.
In one particular case, he said a Kota Kinabalu-based agency had told its client that the Immigration Department was at fault for the client’s alleged ‘overstay’ in the state.
The client had submitted her passport to the agency for visa renewal services but was rejected by the department due to late submission.
The agency had overlooked the submission deadline and in a bid to escape responsibility, it created a convincing story that led the client to believe the department was to blame.
“We will not tolerate this kind of unprofessional attitude by the agencies. It is detrimental to the good name of this department.
“They seem unperturbed in blaming the department. And even more disturbing is that they do this to escape their responsibilities to their clients,” said the director.
He urged all foreign workers in the state to be more cautious when dealing with agencies.
For the record, immigration services and procedures in the country have seen notable improvement thanks to some innovative solutions in dealing with the public’s huge demand for better and faster service.