Companies Must Submit 2020 Employment Pass and Professional Visit Pass Projections

The situation

Companies in Malaysia registered with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) who plan to submit initial or renewal Professional Visit Pass (PVP) and Employment Pass (EP) applications in 2020 should submit their foreign national number projections as soon as possible to avoid delays. Projections for the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MDEC) are currently not being accepted; the submission period is expected to open soon.

A closer look

• 2019 numbers will be no longer be valid. Approved PVP and EP projection numbers granted in 2019 will not be valid in 2020, 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. 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 2020 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 leave Malaysia if they cannot obtain a new work pass before their current one expires.

Background

Malaysia requires companies to submit projection applications to sponsor PVP and EP applications. The projection delineates 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 [email protected].