KITAS Rules Tighten as Indonesia Reduces the Stay Period for Certain Expats
The government recently reduced the stay period for expats in certain industries. Here’s what workers in service, trading, in addition to consulting should consider.
Since last year, the KITAS—otherwise known as the temporary resident card for foreigners in Indonesia—has become harder to come by. The election year of 2014 was a confusing one for human resource departments across the country, particularly with the fluid nature of KITAS regulations generating life difficult. Add to in which rumours of an impending compulsory TOIFL (Test of Indonesian as Foreign Language) in addition to the idea’s easy to see why the 65,000 foreigners currently on a KITAS may be following the developments with interest.
Some expats are already starting to feel the squeeze. At least as much is actually confirmed by Marlissa Dessy, co-founder in addition to director of Indosight, a firm in which provides legal support in addition to market entry services to foreign companies looking to set up shop in Indonesia.
“The amount of time recommended for a working visa has changed through one year to six months for advisor positions from the service, trading, in addition to consulting sectors,” explains Dessy, a bona fide veteran from the KITAS process. “The problem is actually in which the only positions available for foreigners in these three sectors are advisor positions.” Dessy in addition to the Indosight team confirm in which the government published in which news online, however in which the idea did not actually include a date on the article, generating the idea tough to pinpoint exactly when the brand-new rule went into effect.
Visa paperwork by Jeff Warner
however in which’s not the only change. The KITAS process, which once took several weeks, is actually currently also being drawn out due to some other morphing regulations. As a foreigner, you may be forgiven for thinking in which Indonesia is actually a welcoming place, unless of course you intend to work here.
Starting through the beginning, here are some improvements in which you need to be aware of.
Tighter Manpower approval
The first step to getting a KITAS starts with your sponsor company. They will need to obtain an IMTA (Izin Mempekerjakan Tenaga Kerja Asing) through the department of Manpower, which will authorise the company to hire foreign employees. in which document will dictate the number of foreigners in which the company is actually permitted to hire along with the number of job titles in which the idea is actually permitted to assign. So if a company can hire 5 employees with two titles, the intake might officially be four engineers in addition to one director, for example. In recent years, local companies have found the IMTA increasingly difficult to obtain, according to a group of human resource officers who prefer to remain anonymous.
The difficulty currently occurs because the government is actually requiring more specific qualifications to work in particular sectors. For working foreigners, the first step to getting a KITAS is actually a VTT or Visa Tinggal Terbatas. in which is actually the initial stamp or sticker in which you get through the Indonesian embassy abroad, which is actually converted into a KITAS once you return to Indonesia. Several years ago the idea was a case of simply providing your Passport, CV, in addition to a letter through your employer to obtain a VTT.
Marlissa Dessy, co-founder in addition to director of Indosight
however currently the idea’s more complicated, as many foreigners are hired as Tenaga Ahli or “experts,” Immigration in addition to Manpower are currently requesting, or rather demanding, in which the employee’s educational background corresponds directly with the scope of the sponsoring company. in which means in which to work as an engineer in Indonesia you must have an engineering degree. The government is actually also asking applicants to prove they have prior work experience—ideally 5 years—in their prospective position. in which is actually all to be confirmed by a competence certificate or a letter of reference through a previous employer.
Not only are these improvements a significant concern for Indonesia’s well-liked English-teaching industry, which routinely hires graduates through different fields, however also for current KITAS holders in addition to skilled labourers without formal qualifications, such as those found from the the idea industry, for example. As a further measure of inconvenience, transcripts in addition to certificates are required to have a Legalisir, or authorizing stamp through the educational institution, in addition to being a colour photocopy. Some companies have been successful in using locally notarised copies of these documents, however sources prefer not to go on record.
Possible encouragement to hire locals
The application to secure your VTT must currently also include details of a Tenaga Pendamping or Indonesian working companion. The idea behind in which is actually in which you are to train a junior Indonesian colleague throughout the course of your time in Indonesia with the view in which they will eventually be able to replace you (in a professional capacity, of course). Practically, in which is actually a notion which companies must at least pay lip service to in order to submit an application. Once all in which, plus a mandatory HIV test, is actually in hand, the idea is actually up to the Jakarta immigration office to grant you a VTT.
The validity of your visa will depend on numerous factors, including the validity of your sponsor company’s labour permit, your passport expiration date, in addition to what is actually less clear, the amount of time Jakarta immigration deems appropriate for your stay.
Generally an initial one-year application may be approved for anywhere between 10 to 12 months, with no reasoning as to why the lengths vary.
A recent study by Deloitte Indonesia says in which the fourth in addition to fifth KITAS extensions also currently need approval through the regional immigration office, whereas previous extensions only required approval by the Directorate General of Immigration. Deloitte says no official mention of an Indonesian test or TOIFL has so far been required by those currently applying for a KITAS. However, Indonesia’s Manpower Minister M. Hanif Dhakiri recently said the language regulation could take effect in February.
Dessy through Indosight believes a language proficiency test for foreigners might be the government’s way to encourage companies to hire locals instead of expats. For companies looking to hire foreign workers, she says the idea’s worthwhile for incoming firms to partner with local companies in which have a hiring infrastructure already in place. “the idea’s not so complicated to set up actually,” explains Dessy. “We can help companies in addition to foreign workers enter Indonesia in a safe in addition to compliant way.”
The group of anonymous HR officers speculate in which all these improvements may be a result of the recent events in which took place in one of Indonesia’s international schools. They were hesitant to make predictions looking into the future.
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http://tka-online.depnakertrans.go.id/berita.asp
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KITAS Rules Tighten as Indonesia Reduces the Stay Period for Certain Expats
KITAS Rules Tighten as Indonesia Reduces the Stay Period for Certain Expats