(SARAWAK, MALAYSIA) — The Sarawak State Government rolled out the Foreign Worker Transformation Approach, or FWTA, as a digital system to cut work permit approval times, replace a manual process and give employers and enforcement agencies a live view of foreign worker records.

Datuk Gerawat Gala, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department for Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring, said on May 27, 2026 that the system had already reduced turnaround time from 192 days to 61 days. He added that state and federal agencies were working toward a further cut to 30 days by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

“FWTA had significantly shortened approval processing times. turnaround time had been reduced from 192 days to 61 days through coordination between state and federal agencies, with a further reduction to 30 days targeted by the end of this year or early 2027.” Gerawat said.

Sarawak launched the system on January 15, 2025 as part of a wider push to modernize labor and immigration management. The platform replaced the manual Monitoring System on the Employment of Non-Sarawakians, known as MSEN, which had been linked to long delays and limited transparency.

At the launch, Gerawat said the digital overhaul was meant to speed decisions and tighten oversight. “The new system aims to streamline the work permit application process for faster approval and better transparency and effective enforcement. FWTA will also centralize data for all non-resident workers, which is crucial for manpower planning in Sarawak.”

The program sits within Sarawak’s immigration autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963. That makes FWTA a state-level labor and immigration management system, not a U.S. immigration program and not a process tied to USCIS, DHS or the U.S. PERM system.

Officials run FWTA through the SANSOLS platform, short for Sarawakian and Non-Sarawakian Online Labour System. The state is also integrating SANSOLS with the federal MyIMMS system so labor offices and federal immigration authorities can share data in real time.

That connection changes how applications move. Employers submit and track cases in one digital channel, while officials on the state and federal side can review the same record instead of passing files through a paper-based system.

Processing speed has become the system’s central selling point because Sarawak says the old model forced employers to wait months before workers could legally enter jobs. The new timeline removes 131 days from the approval cycle, a cut the government links to faster hiring in construction, timber and plantation work.

Companies also face direct fees. The application fee under FWTA is RM1,854, and as of June 2026 the government was reviewing the structure after concerns from industry groups.

Renewal charges received temporary relief through mid-2026. The state applied discounts of up to 51% on renewal fees while the broader review continued.

Employers stand to save money in another way if approvals keep moving faster. Sarawak says firms no longer need to carry extended maintenance costs for workers waiting in their home countries while permit applications sit in a backlog.

Foreign workers also see a practical effect once approvals arrive earlier. They can begin legal employment sooner and receive coverage under the Sarawak Foreigners Health Information System, or Safhis, from day one.

The system also changes compliance monitoring. FWTA creates an end-to-end digital audit trail, lets employers check case status online and gives enforcement agencies immediate access to worker data during inspections and other checks.

That digital record matters in labor administration because it links quota requests, applications and worker details in one system. State officials have framed that as a way to improve both transparency and enforcement, rather than treating speed as the sole measure of success.

Sarawak has also tied the platform to local hiring rules. Employers must first advertise vacancies to Sarawakians through the system before receiving a quota for foreign labor, a requirement the government says protects local jobs while still allowing businesses to fill shortages.

FWTA has broader planning value for the state because it centralizes information on non-resident workers. Officials say that data helps manpower planning under Sarawak’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030, which treats labor supply as part of its economic program.

The state’s argument is that a faster permit process does more than reduce paperwork. It gives employers a clearer timeline, lets workers enter legal employment sooner and places current records in front of labor and immigration authorities without the lags of the old manual system.

By mid-2026, the benchmark stood at 61 days, down from 192 days, with the next target set at 30 days. Whether that goal arrives by the end of 2026 or early 2027, FWTA has already become one of the Sarawak State Government’s clearest efforts to recast how labor approvals are issued, checked and priced.