Work Permit in Malaysia for Expatriates

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ranked the 8th best city in the world for expats to work and live and ranked the 1st in the world for the easiest city to get settled as an expat based on the Expat Insider 2020 survey conducted by InterNations with the world’s largest expat community of 3.6 million members.

Foreigners that intend to work in Malaysia will need a proper work permit (DP10), or visa, known as Employment Pass (EP) that enables the expatriate to work and live legally in Malaysia. Employment pass is generally a work permit issued by the Immigration Department of Malaysia for expatriate with Key posts: Top managerial post of a company, Executive Posts: Professional or middle managerial positions, Non-Executive Posts: Highly skilled technical positions.

Types of work permits in Malaysia / Types of work permit for foreigners to work in Malaysia

There are 3 main types of Employment Pass as below:

• Employment Pass Category (I)

It will require the applicant to have a contract with the hiring company for a minimum of 12 months and with a monthly salary of RM 10,000 and above.

• Employment Pass Category (II)

A basic salary between RM 5,000 and up to RM 9,999 shall be needed with an employment contract duration between 12-24 months.

• Employment Pass Category (III)

Applicant’s basic salary between RM 3,000 to RM 4,999 with an employment contract that is valid for maximum 12 months.

How to apply work permit / employment pass?

The hiring company will need to act as the sponsoring company to register with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) of the Immigration Malaysia or MDEC for ICT related fields to obtain the necessary approvals to hire a foreign talent into their company in Malaysia.

The applicant then provides the necessary documents such as latest passport copy, passport photo, employment contract, highest education certificates along with any other relevant supporting documents required by the authorities.

Once the documents are complete, the hiring company will then proceed to lodge the application.

FAQ:

Q: Can the applicant apply the Employment Pass on their own?

A: No. The Employment Pass is attached to the hiring company and not the applicant, hence the employing company is responsible to obtain the approval from the authority.

Q: What processing times should I expect for these Visa?

A: Generally, it takes approximately 8-10 weeks if the company is not registered with ESD. If the employer is already registered with the ESD, the average processing time is 3-4 weeks.

Q: Are there other pass for short duration working such as providing training?

A: Yes, a Professional Visit Pass is issued to foreign nationals who are temporarily needed to work in Malaysia (up to 12 months).

Q: Can I bring my family to Malaysia?

A: Yes, if you are holding an employment pass category 1 or 2 you may apply Dependent pass for your family to stay in Malaysia.

Q: My employer does not have any experience and knowledge in applying for the employment pass, what if it got rejected?

A: The employment pass is not a straightforward application and is a rather tedious process that requires strong justifications and proper documentation. Inexperience company or personnel might cause the application to be rejected, hence it is advisable to let the professionals like MOORE that have vast experience of more than 18 years handle the application.

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