The Malaysian Cabinet placed management of the One Stop Centre (OSC) for foreign workers under the Ministry of Human Resources as of July 1, 2026, following a decision announced after meetings in late June [1, 2, 3]. The move centralises all foreign worker quota applications, which must now be submitted and processed solely through the digital E-Quota module in the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) [1, 2, 3, 4].
The previous manual, case-by-case approval process was abolished. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said, "There will be no case-by-case approvals. Everything will go through the system. There is no need to meet the minister, deputy minister or ministry officials to expedite applications" [2]. He further emphasized, "So there will be no queues, no congestion, nothing at all. Neither I, the deputy minister, the secretary-general, the deputy secretary-general nor my office is involved. Everything is done through the system. Very, very transparent and very, very clear" [4].
As of early July, 22,476 quota applications involving 548 companies, previously submitted manually, await processing through FWCMS [1, 2, 3, 4]. The system is owned and controlled by the Human Resources Ministry, which holds the source code and full administrative access [1, 2, 3, 4].
Applications will be evaluated based on sector labour needs and ceilings set by the Economy Ministry. These align with the 12th Malaysia Plan target to reduce foreign workers to 10% of the workforce by 2030 [2, 3]. Employers are required to prioritise hiring Malaysians first via the Section 60K approval and the MyFutureJobs portal before applying for foreign workers through the OSC system. Datuk Seri R. Ramanan stated, "Apply through Section 60K and the MyFutureJobs portal. If there are no takers, then you can apply for foreign workers through the OSC system. But give the jobs to locals first" [2].
Regulatory agencies will hold engagement sessions before forwarding quota applications to the OSC for final approval [2, 3, 4]. Although OSC management shifted to the Human Resources Ministry, the Home Ministry retains authority over national security and may reject or override applications on security grounds [1].
The government says the restructuring aims to improve coordination, efficiency, and transparency while aligning quota management with industry needs [2, 3, 4]. It eliminates manual processes, reduces corruption risks, and expedites approvals.
The Human Resources Ministry is scheduled to complete processing of the backlog of quota applications through the FWCMS system soon, signalling a new digital era for foreign worker management in Malaysia [1, 2, 3].
