Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Malaysia
Fice Fransina Nenobais v. Lee Hee Chooi
Court of Appeal, Malaysia · Malaysia · 2022-05 · National court
Citation: [appeal number to be added]
Type of case: Private
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
Can an undocumented domestic worker bring a claim for unpaid wages before the Labour Court?
What the court decided
Yes. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court: lacking valid immigration status does not bar a worker from seeking redress at the Labour Court.
In plain language
An Indonesian domestic worker in Malaysia went unpaid for almost five years. The labour office refused her claim because she had no valid permit. The courts said she could still claim her wages.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Seorang pekerja rumah tangga Indonesia di Malaysia tidak digaji hampir lima tahun. Kantor ketenagakerjaan menolak tuntutannya karena ia tidak punya izin yang sah. Pengadilan menyatakan ia tetap boleh menuntut upahnya.
Pertanyaan: Bisakah pekerja rumah tangga tanpa dokumen mengajukan tuntutan upah yang tidak dibayar ke Pengadilan Ketenagakerjaan?
What happened afterwards
- 2019-07: High Court rules she may claim.
- 2022-05: Court of Appeal upholds.
- later: [Check whether the wages were paid.]
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/my-fice-2022/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.