Migrant Worker Housing: Employer Duties and Approved Accommodation

Employer Arrangements and Housing Types

The housing section separates the employer’s responsibilities for accommodation and contact information from the rules for different housing types. Check both: an available address and its accommodation type must meet the applicable requirements.

Pre-Entry Checks and Dormitory Regulation

A dedicated page explains pre-entry housing checks for new non-Malaysian CMP Work Permit holders. Other pages set out dormitory-operator requirements and list migrant-worker dormitories licensed under FEDA. The licensed list is a source for checking dormitory status; the employer’s duties and the housing-type rules are separate guidance.

Check the Address Record and Pre-Entry Evidence

The employer must provide housing meeting MOM's requirements, pay rent on time and renew an expiring accommodation contract or find other housing promptly. Register the worker's residential address and mobile number through OFWAS before issuance for both new and renewal applications. Changes to either must be updated within five days. As a practical check, compare the declared address with the worker's actual accommodation rather than treating a tenancy booking as the completed address update.

A separate pre-entry check applies to new non-Malaysian Work Permit holders with IPA who work in construction, marine shipyard or process. The employer needs proof of acceptable accommodation before bringing them in. Evidence can include a tenancy agreement, an accommodation-provider contract or email confirmation of a bed reservation and tenancy end date. The arrangement should cover most of the Work Permit duration. Submit the check after IPA and wait for approval before booking the Onboard centre slot.

Allow for the accommodation-specific processing period: the listed dormitory categories generally receive outcomes within seven working days, while other accommodation can take forty-two working days or more. These are pre-entry-check timings, not permission to use an unapproved address. Keep the accommodation evidence, check outcome and OFWAS record together as an optional organising aid for the employer.

Sources: Employer's responsibilities for migrant worker housing · Pre-entry housing check for Construction, Marine shipyard and Process (CMP) sector Work Permit holders