By Yee Mei
KUCHING, June 21: The Sarawak government is looking into issuing 5-year work permits to professionals in the State’s strategic sectors.
According to Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, while Sarawak has big plans to help it attain the status of a high-income and developed State, it is short of people with expertise in the relevant fields to help achieve that.
“Data has to be decoded. We have to study the data and translate it as a means for us to move forward.
“We need people with expertise, and companies coming here also need scientists, which is why we have to revisit our immigration process,” he said while delivering his closing remarks at the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (Idecs) 2022 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
“We want to give work visas for five years (to these professionals) instead of annually.
“We want people to come here to work, especially from the upper echelons such as scientists. The terminology is ‘nomad profesional’.
“Only then, the whole economy will rise up, and the cascading benefits spilling over will be for the people,” he said.
In a press conference after the event, Abang Johari clarified that the work permit would apply to any professional working for any company as long as it is in a strategic sector.
When asked when it would be implemented, the Premier said that some details needed to be ironed out first, which could take a few months.
“We have to work with the Immigration Department first to work out the formula or procedure,” he said. — DayakDaily
