Companies Must Submit 2019 Employment Pass and Professional Visit Pass Projections

The situation

Companies registered with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) and/or the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) who plan to submit initial or renewal Professional Visit Pass (PVP) and Employment Pass (EP) applications in 2019 should submit their foreign national number projections as soon as possible to avoid complications.

A closer look

• 2018 numbers will be no longer be valid. Approved PVP and EP projection numbers granted in 2018 will not be valid in 2019, even if there are unutilized numbers left.
• Processing timeline. The projection application by ESD can take up to 10 business days to process from the date of submission of the application and 15-20 business days for the MDEC to process from the date of submission of the application. However, this timeline may be longer due to upcoming holiday closures and the expected high volume of projection applications during this month.

Impact

Companies that do not have approved projections for 2019 will not be able to submit initial and renewal PVP and EP applications until they obtain the required projection approval. Foreign nationals already in Malaysia under a PVP or EP may need to exit if their new work pass cannot be obtained prior to the expiry of the current one.

Background

Malaysia requires companies to submit projection applications to sponsor PVP and EP applications. The projection explains the need of the company to hire foreign workers. The projection application is assessed and approved at the discretion of ESD and/or MDEC, based on the projection number and relevant justification submitted. The projection application can be submitted throughout the year, if necessary.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to fragomen.malaysia@fragomen.com.