Oil And Gas Sector Work Pass Applications in Sabah Subject to New Preapproval Process
November 21, 2016

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Effective immediately, companies operating in the oil and gas sector must obtain preapproval from the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department (JKM) before being able to submit new or renewal Work Pass applications to the Sabah Immigration Department. The application for preapproval from JKM is expected to take approximately four weeks to adjudicate from the date of submission.
Work pass applications pending with the Sabah Immigration Department have been placed on hold and will only be adjudicated after the employer provides the JKM approval letter to the Immigration Department.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
As a result of this additional requirement, employers in the oil and gas sector should expect overall processing times for Sabah work pass applications to increase by approximately four weeks.
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].
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