# From employer demand to deployment: the stages of a foreign worker placement A plain-language walk through the stages of a foreign worker placement, what an agency records at each one, and how to keep stage dates visible across employer clients. By Worker Vault · Published 21 September 2026 · 5 min read URL: https://workervault.com/blog/foreign-worker-recruitment-stages-demand-to-deployment **Key points** - A placement moves through stages, and each stage needs a recorded date and an owner. - Group stages into demand, selection, clearance, travel, arrival and deployment so a manager can read progress at a glance. - Record progress as it happens. Recording a stage does not obtain any approval. - Use the stage list your own process and the authorities require, and keep it in one place. An employer places a demand. Some weeks or months later, a worker starts a job. Between those two points sits a chain of steps, handled by different people in different countries. The agency's job is to know where each worker is in that chain and what is blocking the next step. This article describes the stages in plain words so a team can agree a shared picture. The exact stages, order and rules depend on the country and the pass type. Treat this as a frame to adapt, and take legal requirements from the authority for your corridor. ## Stage group 1: demand and allocation Everything starts with what the employer client asked for. - **Demand:** the employer's request, with the number of workers, job type and any conditions. - **Quota or allocation:** where the agency or employer holds an allocation, record how much of it each demand uses. - **Demand lines:** if one demand covers several roles or batches, split it into lines so progress can be read per line. Project-based work, such as [construction placements across several sites](https://workervault.com/blog/construction-placements-multiple-sites-records), is one example. Record here: the reference, the employer client, the headcount ordered and the date it was received. This is also the figure you will compare against later when a client asks how many have been deployed. ## Stage group 2: selection and contract Candidates are matched to the demand and an offer is made. - candidate shortlisted and selected - employment contract signed, and attested where your process requires it Record the date for each step and keep a copy of the signed contract on the candidate's file. If a candidate drops out, record why and return the demand line to open so the shortfall stays visible. ## Stage group 3: clearances before travel Before a worker travels, a set of checks usually has to be finished in the source country and in the destination country. The names differ widely, so use your own list. Typical entries are a medical examination, a clearance from the source country's labour or emigration authority and an approval or entry document from the destination. For each check, record who is responsible, the date it was completed and the document that shows it. Where one clearance depends on another, note the dependency so the team knows why a worker is waiting. ## Stage group 4: travel - flight booked - departure confirmed This stage is short, but it is the one clients ask about most. Keep the date and the flight reference on the placement so you can answer without searching a message thread. ## Stage group 5: arrival and post-arrival steps Arrival starts a second chain: reporting, medical registration, insurance, permit endorsement and similar steps that the destination requires. The deadlines come from the authority, so enter them as due dates on the record rather than relying on memory. Our article on [post-arrival clearances](https://workervault.com/blog/post-arrival-clearance-checklist-agencies) goes through how to structure those records. ## Stage group 6: deployment The worker goes to the employer's site. At this point the candidate file should become a [worker record](https://workervault.com/solutions/worker-records): documents, clearances, costs and passport custody carried over. If you keep those in separate places, the handover is where gaps appear. See [what should travel with the worker at deployment](https://workervault.com/blog/worker-record-handover-at-deployment). ## Three habits that keep stages useful 1. **Record the stage when it happens**, not at the end of the week. Late entries turn a list into a guess. 2. **Give each stage an expected duration** from your own history, so a placement that sits too long shows up on its own in the [weekly placement review](https://workervault.com/blog/weekly-placement-pipeline-review). 3. **Keep one stage list** for all employer clients, and change it in one place when the process changes. ## Adapting the stages to your corridors No two corridors are identical. A route from one source country may add a clearance that another does not, and a destination may group steps differently. Start with the frame above, then adjust it with the people who handle each corridor. Sit down with one clerk who has handled the corridor recently and walk through a real placement from demand to deployment. Note every step they did, every document they needed and every wait they hit. Compare the notes with the official guidance for that country. The result is a stage list that matches the work, with its sources named, which your whole team can use and update in one place. ## What the product does and does not do Worker Vault holds a configurable stage list per workspace, shows stage progress, dates and warnings on each placement, and carries the records forward at deployment. Recording a stage in Worker Vault does not obtain or file anything with an authority. It is your team's record of what has happened and what is due. To see the stages applied to your own corridors and employer clients, [Book a Demo](https://workervault.com/book-a-demo). You can also read about the [recruitment workflow](https://workervault.com/solutions/recruitment) and the [Malaysia page](https://workervault.com/countries/malaysia). This post provides general information only. It is compiled from information publicly available on the web and is not an official source or legal or professional advice. Rules and requirements change over time, so check the facts with the relevant official authority before acting. Worker Vault accepts no responsibility for how this content is used.