Kanowit: the local picture
Kanowit, in Sibu Division, is home to Fort Emma, a wooden fort built on the Rajang River during the Brooke dynasty around 1859-60. The Department of Statistics (DOSM) records a population of about 25,000 for Kanowit.
Which process applies here
For hiring in Kanowit: Sarawak uses its own GENESIS/HAVEN system and the Sarawak Labour Department, under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance — separate from the Peninsular route, and the Employment Act 1955 does not extend here.
Costs and checks that apply here
In Kanowit, Sarawak, the statutory costs are the ones set nationally: the permit and visa fees — which Immigration's own guidance bundles with the annual foreign-worker levy at approval and at each PLKS extension — the FOMEMA medical and PERKESO cover. Confirm the current levy amount with Immigration rather than budgeting it as waived.
There is no official cap on the service fee an agency charges a household in Kanowit, so compare written, itemised quotes and verify the licence on the JTKSM register before paying — a licence confirms legitimacy, not price.
What to do next
Write a short household brief for Kanowit — who needs support, the main duties, timing and budget — then use it in every agency conversation.
Ask any agency serving Kanowit for its legal name and licence number, and verify both before paying anything.