The Malaysian government announced it will introduce a special pass for investors and expatriate groups.

Key Points:

  • Effective April 1, a special pass for eligible foreign investors will allow individuals to enter Malaysia for six months, with an option to extend for another six months.
  • Officials stated a multiple-entry visa will also be provided to holders of the special pass.
  • Previously, foreign investors were issued only social visit passes valid for 14 to 90 days, depending on their country of origin.

Additional Information: Applications can be made via the Xpats Gateway, and further information is available on this website. The new pass is designed to enhance the efficiency of the entry process and facilitate longer stays for eligible nationals who the government believes will support business and investment activities.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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The Malaysian government announced the Electronic Pass (ePASS) system will be extended to other pass types within the MYXpats Centre of the Expatriate Services Division.

Key Points:

  • Effective March 1, an ePASS will be issued for approved applications for the following pass types:
    • Employment Pass Category I, II and III (new and renewal)
    • Professional Visit Pass (PVP)
    • Residence Pass-Talent
    • Dependent Pass (new and renewal)
    • Long Term Social Visit Pass
    • Transfer of Endorsement/Take Up Balance
  • Previously, an ePASS was issued only for certain approved renewal applications.

Additional Information: Officials stated that the current endorsement process will remain unchanged for passes issued under Public Universities and Government Agencies. In addition, there are no changes to i-KAD issuance for applicable passes until further notice.

The Malaysian government intends to improve services and streamline expatriate application processes. As BAL reported, officials also recently announced efforts to improve modules and add new functions to the Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAx), as well as provided updated sample documents for PVP applications. The government is enhancing the efficiency of pass issuance for pass endorsement as part of a larger initiative to ease travel processes and digitize immigration procedures.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced updated sample documents have been added in Expatriate Services Division (ESD) Online for Professional Visit Pass (PVP) applications.

Key Points:

  • Effective immediately, all PVP applications must follow these updated sample documents.
  • The government has updated the sample application letter, Personal Bond Ref. No. (P.L.N. 228/63) and Memorandum of Understanding to align with new requirements and ensure a more comprehensive sample is available for reference.

Additional Information: The government intends to improve services and streamline expatriate application processes. These documents, along with an ESD Online Guidebook, are now available on ESD Online for reference. As BAL reported, the Malaysian government also recently announced efforts to improve modules and add new functions to the Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAx).

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced that the Department of Labor Peninsular Malaysia (JTKSM) is improving modules and adding new functions to the Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAx).

Key Points:

  • The upgrades specifically impact Employment Pass (EP) and Professional Visit Pass (PVP) applications and the process of initial approval under section 60K of the Employment Act 1955.
  • Under section 60K of the Employment Act, employers are required to obtain prior approval before hiring new foreign workers, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
  • This process does not apply to renewals of EPs, temporary employment visit passes or other passes.
  • The announcement details that the government has added new functions to upgrade the ePPAx system, specifically the multi-tiered levy (MTL), to enhance the process for companies seeking to obtain initial approval to hire a foreign worker.

Additional Information: The Expatriate Services Division details that all applications for prior approval must be submitted through the ePPAx system at ePPAx Login.

Approval is granted to the employer only, and the approval documents are directly generated via the system on the application status check screen. The upgraded modules and functions went live on Dec. 2, 2024, and the government designed the ePPAx system enhancements to improve the process for employers to obtain initial approvals for hiring foreign workers.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced employers registered on the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) online portal may now submit their Employment Pass (EP) and Professional Visit Pass (PVP) quota projections for 2025.

Key Points:

  • Employers can now submit their 2025 EP and PVP quota projections through the ESD online portal.
  • To submit 2025 projections, companies must log in through this website and follow the guided prompts.
  • Unused projections approved for 2024 will not carry into 2025.
  • Malaysian authorities stated that projection requests have been simplified and will now be instantly successful upon request.

Additional Information: Companies are reminded to include their latest e-SSM before submitting projection requests and should ensure all the information required is included in the submission. Authorities also emphasized the proper position group should also be selected, either top management, middle management, technical expert or entry level.

BAL Analysis: Companies should plan to submit their projections as soon as possible to avoid delays.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government has introduced interim endorsement slips as a temporary substitute for long-term pass stickers.

Key Points:

  • Interim endorsement slips will now be issued to holders of long-term passes that were approved by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation and the Expatriate Services Division.
  • The interim endorsement slips are recognized for official use in both English and Bahasa and serve as temporary replacements for long-term pass stickers alongside a passport for interstate and international travel.

Additional Information: The Malaysian government is also introducing a separate initiative to better manage applications within Expatriate Services Division Online. Beginning Oct. 1, the MYXpats Centre will automatically cancel any inactive applications that are not resubmitted within 90 days. Companies will receive notification emails at several stages before the cancellation occurs, but authorities will not process any refunds on the processing fees for canceled applications.

BAL Analysis: The Malaysian government intends for these initiatives to streamline immigration processes.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced updated document requirements for Professional Visit Pass (PVP) applications.

Key Points:

  • Effective Aug. 16, Expatriate Services Division (ESD) will require only six general documents for each PVP application; they previously required 13 documents.
  • The following documents are still required: passport copy with all pages (including six empty pages); an application letter from the sponsor; personal or security bonds; award letter(s) or contract; memorandum of understanding (MoU); and supporting documents if applicable.

Additional Information: Officials stated that a bank guarantee, offer letter, acceptance letter, job description, working schedule, academic certificate and updated resume are no longer required. Applicants may utilize the ESD online system to access sample documents and a guidebook for reference when completing PVP applications.

BAL Analysis: The government is expanding their online systems, allowing companies to submit more applications electronically for convenience and to improve processing times for applicants.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group. 

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced the implementation of new online applications within the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) online system for certain services.

Key Points:

  • The new process within the ESD online system aims for applicants to have no physical submission via MYXpats or an immigration counter for the following application types:
    • Amendment of an approved application
    • Shorten of pass
    • Cancellation of application
    • Transfer of endorsement/take-up balance
    • Permission to study
    • Permission to work at a second location
  • The ESD system currently only requires companies to file certain applications through the online filing system, including dependent, employment, professional visit and long-term social visit passes.
  • The processing time for these online applications is estimated at three working days after submission and then an additional 24 hours for online payment processing and five days for postal delivery. This time frame is down from the previous 3-5 business day processing time via in-person filing at MYXpats or immigration counters.

Additional Information: Officials also recently announced a revised fee structure that will take effect Sept. 1 for applications such as an employment pass, professional visit pass and dependent passes. Recently, the government has also implemented new measures to standardize existing procedures and consolidate online filing platforms. As BAL previously reported, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation-registered companies are now required to use the Xpats Gateway online portal to file initial and renewal employment pass applications online.

BAL Analysis: The Malaysian government is expanding its online systems and is expected to require additional immigration-related applications to be filed online going forward. The expansion is designed to allow companies to submit more applications electronically for convenience and to improve processing times for applicants.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

The Malaysian government announced all initial professional visit pass applications will now require pre-approval from the Department of Labor Peninsular Malaysia online portal.

Key Points:

  • Companies registered under the Expatriate Services Division must now obtain pre-approval from the online form all initial professional visit pass applications. This procedure was also recently implemented for initial employment pass applications.
  • Renewal applications are not required to obtain pre-approval.

Additional Information: Officials stated that a pre-approval should take one to two business weeks to process. The approval document can be downloaded online within the portal once granted. ESD-registered employers are required to submit the pre-approval with each new application.

BAL Analysis: The government has expanded this process to the initial professional visit pass application to standardize their existing procedures for other employment authorization applications in the hopes of creating faster processing times for applicants and registered companies.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

 

The Malaysian government has stated that Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation registered employers should now file employment pass applications through the Xpats Gateway system.

Key Points:

  • Effective April 24, all new and renewal applications for employment passes are required to be made through the Xpats Gateway system for MDEC registered companies.
  • Companies are advised to use their existing MDEC Expats system login information.
  • The Xpats Gateway system is now open to IT sectors; previously, it was open only to non-IT sectors.

Background: The government implemented the new Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 in order to protect local labor in Malaysia. MDEC is a government agency under the Ministry of Digital and was established in 1996 to lead Malaysia’s digital economy. The government launched a digital initiative to encourage and attract global talent and grow Malaysian businesses and the economy.

BAL Analysis: The Malaysian government intends for this updated procedure to be similar to the existing procedure for expatriate services division registered companies and to improve processing times for applicants.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.