Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur. The official Language of Malaysia is Malay. This post concerns the Malaysia Work Visa Process and the types of passes (work permits) allowing foreign nationals to work in Malaysia. A foreign national must have a Job offer from a Malaysian company. After this, the Malaysian employer will apply for the Work Permit for you. For Malaysia, both Highly Skilled and foreign workers with low qualifications can apply.
According to the Malaysian Immigration Department, a total of 1,589,720 applicants used Online Service Transaction for the Employment pass in 2023. Additionally, there are different types of Malaysian work permits based on the profession and duration of work. Some work permits are only restricted to the nationals of some countries. Below you will find the complete details and the step-by-step application process for the Malaysia Work Visa.
Types of Malaysian Work Permits (Work Passes)
These are the different types of work permits for the Foreign Nationals:
1) Employment Pass (EP)
This is the most common type of pass that allows foreign workers to work in a Malaysian company for a highly skilled position. This pass is valid for 1-5 years depending on the nature of work and work contract.
2) Temporary Employment Pass (TEP)
The Temporary Employment Pass is issued for the following sectors:
- Manufacturing
- Plantation
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Services
This pass has two categories:
1) Foreign Workers Temporray Employment Pass: This is another common type of pass to work in Malaysia as a foreign worker. This pass is also known as Temporary Visit Pass. The age of the worker should be between 18 to 45 years at the time of application.
Only people from the following countries can apply for the Foreign Worker Temporray Employment Pass:
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Bangladesh
- Myanmar
- Laos
- Vietnam
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Nepal
- Philippines
- India
Read More about Foreign Worker Employment Pass
2) Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) Temporary Employment Pass: This pass is only for females aged 21 years old and not more than 45 years old from the following countries:
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Philippine
- Sri Lanka
- India
- Vietnam
- Laos
3) Professional Visit Pass (PVP)
This is for temporary work assignments (up to 12 months). This pass is generally for foreign artists, film workers, religious workers, government workers, students, and volunteers.
Requirements For Getting a Malaysia Work Visa
For the Employment Pass: You must be a qualified applicant and should have proper qualifications for the post.
For the Temporary Employment Pass: You must be from an eligible country and must have a Job offer in the approved sector. You must be between the ages of 18 and 45. The Temporary Employment Pass does not require any specific qualifications which are considered highly skilled.
How to Apply for the Malaysia Work Visa?
The step-by-step application process:
- First Find a Job in Malaysia that is willing to sponsor you.
- The Company/employer in Malaysia will apply for the work permit (pass) on your behalf with the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
- Once your work permit is approved, you can apply for a Malaysia Visa with Reference (if you are a citizen of a country that requires a Visa).
- If you are a National of a country that does not require a Visa then you can travel to Malaysia with your work permit only.
What is a Malaysia Visa with Reference?
A Malaysian Visa With Reference means that the applicant had to get the visa approved by the Malaysia Immigration Department before they could apply at an Embassy/Consulate.
Your employer can help you in this section and will let you know how you can apply for the Visa.
Helpful Links
Malaysian Immigration Department Website
On this website, you can read all the information about the Visa, Evisa, requirements by country, and Employment passes. On the website please go to “Main Services“.
Also Check: Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) 2024
