Malaysia – New Requirements for Professional Visit and Employment Passes
July 22, 2016
Immigration authorities will start implementing new regulations and enforcing current laws regarding employment passes and professional visit passes. Before, employers were able to include allowances in the calculation of the minimum salary for work permits on a discretionary basis, however, it will no longer be accepted. Beginning August 1, changes to the Professional Visit Pass and Category I, II, and III will be enforced as per the following:
Professional Visit Pass
- Upon entering Malaysia, a copy of the approval letter must be presented.
Categories I and II
- Employment passes for Category I are valid for a minimum of two years;
- Employment passes for Category II are valid for less than two years;
- Allowances are not allowed in the minimum salary for work permits, currently at 5,000 ringgits per month;
- Upon entering Malaysia, a copy of the approval letter must be presented.
Category III
- Category III employment passes are valid for a maximum of 12 months;
- Allowances are not allowed in the minimum salary for work permits, currently in a range of 2,500-4,999.99 ringgits per month;
- Dependents are not able to travel along with the assignee;
- A “visa with reference” must also be filed with the employment pass application before entry to the country;
- A medical examination is required for working in the construction, manufacturing, and mining industries for nationals of certain countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.