You need a Malaysia visa to work in Malaysia as a foreign national. For foreigners, it acts as a work permit for employment in Malaysia. There are certain rules and regulations to obtain it.
As far as obtaining a Malaysia work permit visa is concerned, you can get it only when an employer applies for it on your behalf. So, to obtain it, you must find an employer. Also, a lot depends on the approval of those authorities who are responsible for endorsing the work permit applications of foreign nationals. It is only after their endorsement that you can get into employment in Malaysia.
Technically, a Malaysia work visa is a Malaysia long-term stay visa. But to a large extent, your Malaysia work permit visa will depend on the nature of your job profile. Additionally, it may also depend on the duration for which an employer hires you. Read on to learn more about different types of employment passes in Malaysia, and the criteria to obtain them.
What is a work visa for Malaysia?
A Malaysia work visa is a permit that allows foreign nationals to be employed within their country adjustably. If a non-citizen wants to be employed in Malaysia for permanent employment, he or she has the responsibility to have a valid permit. A visa for Malaysian work is a necessary must-have if you hold an Indian passport. As a noncitizen seeking to be employed in Malaysia, you have a responsibility to be employed by some Malaysian company. Then, your employer must apply for a Malaysia work visa for you. Since a Malaysia eVisa provides for the least stay allowed of 30 days and is issued for tourism or business purposes only, it is evident that an application for a work visa is mandatory since this visa can prolong your stay in Malaysia.
Documents Required For Malaysia Work Visa
One should take good care of the Malaysia visa document requirements. Find all the necessary details below:
- Valid Passport
- Properly filled and signed application form
- Copies of education certificates
- Past employment testimonials
- 2 recent color photographs as per photo specifications.
- Detailed information on the type of work to be performed by the applicant in Malaysia
- Company’s employment letter
- You must also provide a government identity card, and rent agreements for VAC outside your jurisdiction.
- Confirmed flight tickets.
Different Types of Employment Pass in Malaysia
Here is a list of the different kinds of employment passes in Malaysia for which you can apply with the concerned department.
1. The Employment Pass
Generally, foreign nationals who wish to land a managerial or technical job, or a job that corresponds to a higher position in a company in Malaysia, do so with a plan of residing in the country for a longer duration. The employment pass is for this section of foreign employees in Malaysia.
While an employer can apply for this kind of employment pass on behalf of their employees, they need to meet a key eligibility criterion for it. To do so, they must have the approval of a relevant regulatory agency or the Expatriate Committee.
In general, a foreign employee gets this kind of employment pass for a maximum duration of up to 5 years. However, the duration of the employment pass may vary from one individual to the other. Further, it is renewable. That is to say, one can apply for renewing it before the expiry of its validity.
2. The Temporary Employment Pass
Concerned authorities issue the temporary employment pass to those foreign nationals whom employers in Malaysia hire for not more than two years. They issue it to employees who belong to the following categories:
● FWTEP (Foreign Worker Temporary Employment Pass): This form of employment pass is given to foreign nationals who work in agriculture, plantation, construction, and manufacturing sectors from select countries.
● FDHTEP (Foreign Domestic Helper Temporary Employment Pass): This form of employment pass is for female workers who work in the residence of an employer who either has children or elderly family members.
3. The Professional Visit Pass
This employment pass is issued to those professionals who are hired by a company temporarily. In most cases, authorities issue it to those foreign nationals who wish to work in Malaysia for a maximum of 12 months.
Conditions for Obtaining a Malaysia Work Permit Visa
Before knowing about the conditions for the approval of a Malaysia work permit visa, you must understand that the type of permit visa for which you can apply will depend on how well you meet the stated eligibility criteria.
The Employment pass has different requirements concerning academic qualifications and work experience. To obtain it, you must have requisite educational certificates and a diploma. Plus, you must also have documents as proof of your work experience. Your monthly salary should be RM 3,000 at least. In some categories, it can go up to RM10000 for eligibility.
For the Temporary Employment Pass, you do not need a higher qualification. However, you must meet some stated criteria. Your age should be between 21 and 45 years, and you must be a national of one of the countries that belong to the approved list of nations. To work as a domestic helper, you must be a woman between 21 and 45 years of age.
To get a Professional Visit Pass, you must be a foreign national hired by a non-Malaysian organization for a specific duration of time. Under this pass, you can work in certain select categories. With a Professional Visit Pass, you can work as a volunteer, guest lecturer, student under training, government worker, religious worker, film worker, or foreign artist.
How To Get A Malaysia Work Visa?
The employer applies for a Malaysian work visa on the employee’s behalf. First, they need to apply with the Immigration office. If the Malaysia work visa requirements are fulfilled, the visa application will be approved. After getting approved, you can travel to Malaysia and apply for a work visa if necessary.
Apply for an Ex-Patriate Post or Quota approval
Your employer needs to apply for the Expatriate post from the Expatriate committee. Only after that can the employer apply for the employment pass. These agencies are the ones who approve the Expatriate post.
- Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA)
- Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) for the technology sector.
- Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM) for the finance sectors of finance.
- Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp – BC) of the biotechnology sector.
- Securities Commission (SC) for the security sector.
- Expatriate Committee (EC) for other sectors.
If the employer wants to hire you temporarily, then he can apply for a temporary employment pass. Quota approvals are made by The Local Centre of Approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Approval Of Malaysia Work Visa
The employer has to apply on your behalf at the Immigration office. After approval, a visa approval letter is sent to the employee. Only after that, you can go to Malaysia. Now, if you are a visa-required national, you must apply for a Malaysian visa with reference at the closest Malaysian representative office.
Applying for a Malaysia Work Visa
Only employers can apply for a Malaysia Work Visa on behalf of their employees. In your case, your employer needs to apply to the concerned department with copies of the stated documents. The Immigration Department of Malaysia is responsible for issuing Malaysia Work Visa. You can travel to Malaysia legally only if this department approves your work permit application submitted by your employer.
Once you arrive in Malaysia, your next course of action will depend on your nationality. The nationals of some countries get an exemption in applying for a visa. If you belong to any one of these countries, you do not need to apply for a visa. Otherwise, you will need to file a visa application at the nearest Malaysian Representative Office.
Get Your Work permit
The final step requires you to submit your passport after you come to Malaysia. You also have to pay for the employment pass at the Malaysian immigration office. They will then give you your work permit card and a sticker on your passport.
Who can You Bring After Obtaining a Malaysia Work Visa?
You can bring your family only if you get an employment pass. If you meet this criterion, you can bring your spouse or dependent children who are not above 21 years. You can bring a biological or adopted child above 21 years only if you have a Long-Term Social Visit Pass
Can you bring your family members with a Malaysian work visa?
Yes, only employees who have an employee pass can bring the following members, who must have a dependent pass
- Your wife/husband
- Your children who are under 21 years old.
The Long-term Social Visit Pass gives a chance to bring the following family members along with them-
- Children older than 21 years old, adopted or biological.
- Your wife/husband.
The Social Visit Pass is another permit that allows these family members to visit the employee in Malaysia
- Your wife/husband
- Parents
- Adopted or biological children above 21 years old.
- Stepchildren
To work in Malaysia, your husband/wife has to apply for a work visa. They cannot stay on the dependent pass scheme if they want to work.
Conclusion
Obtaining a Malaysia work permit visa is the legal option to work and stay in Malaysia. You need to apply for the right work permit visa depending on your academic credentials to get approval from the Immigration Department of Malaysia. Choose the category using the above information and contact your employer for your work permit visa application for hassle-free processing.