Processing Delays Expected During Holiday Closures in June 2017

Malaysia

Due to the observance of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the eXpats Service Centre will be closed June 23 through June 27, resuming operations on June 28, 2017.

MSC Malaysia status and Information Communication Technology-sector companies should follow the below guidelines to avoid further processing delays.

To ensure approval and endorsement prior to this holiday closure period, companies should submit their applications on or before the following dates:

• Stage 1 applications: June 16, 2017;
• Stage 2 applications: May 26, 2017.

For security reasons, any Stage 2 applications for MSC Malaysia status companies filed between May 26 and June 22, 2017 cannot include original passports. Instead, copies of the following additional documents will need to be provided for the employee and any accompanying dependents, if applicable:

Passport identification page;

• Current pass, if applicable;
• Latest entry stamp page;
• Reference visa page, if applicable;
• Last page of the passport (for Indian nationals); and
• Three blank passport pages.

However, change of position applications will still require original passports for endorsement purposes.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Employers should follow the above submission guidelines to ensure receipt of approvals and endorsements prior to the holiday closure period.

Foreign nationals who have already received their Stage 1 approvals must enter Malaysia on or before May 23, 2017 to proceed with their Stage 2 applications.

Foreign nationals who have not received their Stage 1 approvals prior to the holiday closure and are, therefore, not be able to enter Malaysia for Stage 2 submissions, should expect longer processing times due to the holiday closures.

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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