Helpers queue overnight for new contract
We were astonished to discover that our domestic helper had to arrive at the offices of the Immigration Department sometime before midnight on Tuesday to ensure that she could get her contract renewed the next day.
She was obliged to spend the whole night there, with temperatures down to 16 degrees Celsius and no toilet facilities, to await the department opening at 8.45 on Wednesday morning.
Apparently the Immigration Department operates a quota system – only a limited number of applicants can have their papers processed each day.
If a helper arrives during normal office hours, they will simply be waved away by the department and told to form/join the line, which sometimes starts around 4pm for people to have their papers processed the next day. In other words, some applicants, to ensure they get a place in the line, wait upwards of 16 hours overnight to have their contracts renewed.
The government insists on helpers renewing their contracts every two years. It should at least provide sufficient staffing and amenities to ensure the process can be conducted during normal working hours. If it cannot do so, it should extend the length of contracts to, say, three years, thereby reducing the demand.
It’s even possible that the seemingly overworked officials who are actually processing the paperwork would welcome such an extension.