Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Until recently, Sanjeet, a business consultant from India, thought of Malaysia as home.After living and working in the Southeast Asian nation for more than a decade, he had gotten comfortable with the climate, people and way of life.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“Once I had crossed the five-year mark, Malaysia seemed like an ideal long-term choice,” Sanjeet, who is in his 40s and asked to use a pseudonym, told Al Jazeera.“One gets used to what Malaysia has to offer.”But after a recent move by the Malaysian government to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign workers, Sanjeet’s plans – and those of thousands like him – have been plunged into doubt.From June onwards, the minimum salary threshold for foreign workers to obtain a visa will be raised as much as two-fold, and workers’ length of stay will be capped at five or 10 years.“What was surprising was that this came out of the blue,” Sanjeet said.“It does leave room for doubt in terms of long-term plans, which include things like buying a house or car here.”Malaysia, which transformed into one of Southeast Asia’s most developed economies after gaining independence from Britain in the 1960s, has been an attractive destination for foreign labour for decades.Many of the 2.1 million documented foreign workers in the country take on manual labour for salaries of around the monthly minimum wage of 1,700 …
