Upcoming Fee Increases and System Upgrades for MYXpats Centre

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At a Glance

The Expatriate Services Division’s MYXpats Centre will add new features, upgrade its system and implement substantial fee increases starting June 1.

• New features will be added to the system after the upgrade including the ability to make online payments, availability of new online services for Transfer of Endorsement and Cancellation of Passes, and new branches in Penang and Johor.
• Processing fees for initial and renewal Employment Pass, Dependant Pass, and Long-Term Social Visit Pass applications will increase substantially. Moreover, there will be fees associated with processing initial and renewal Professional Visit Pass applications, which were processed for free previously.

The upgrades are intended to facilitate the employment process for skilled foreign talent. These changes will not apply to immigration applications submitted via the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.

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The situation

Starting June 1, the Expatriate Services Division’s (ESD) MYXpats Centre will add new features and implement substantial fee increases for some of its online transactions. These changes will not apply to immigration applications submitted via the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

A closer look

• Additional new features. MYXpats Centre will upgrade their system to include new features such as:
  • Online payment. Applicants will be able to pay their fees online (via internet banking, credit card or debit card). This will reduce the need to visit the Centre for payments.
  • New services. Applications for Transfer of Endorsement and Cancellation of Passes will be made available online.
  • New branches. New MYXpats Centre branches outside of the Klang Valley will be established in Penang and Johor.
  • Larger file attachments. The file size limit for attachments on the online system will be increased from the current 10 MB to 20 MB per attachment.
  • Other improvements. The Centre will also offer online support chat, new kiosk station facilities and a simplified handbook.
• Substantial fee increases. Processing fees for initial and renewal Employment Pass, Dependant Pass, and Long-Term Social Visit Pass applications will increase substantially and MYXpats Centre will also start charging fees to process initial and renewal Professional Visit Pass applications, which were previously processed free of charge. The fees will be paid upon submission of the application online. A refund of 60% of the application charges will be available for rejected applications. The exact fees per applicant presented in the table below do not include fees charged by the Immigration Department:

*At the time of publication of this alert, 1 MYR = .24 USD.

Impact

The new features should improve foreign nationals' and employers' experiences during the employment authorization process.

Background

The Malaysia Expatriate Talent Service (MYXpats) Centre was launched in July 2015 to ensure fast and consistent processing of Employment Pass and other related applications. Fees for online transactions were introduced a year later, and these same amounts have not changed until now.

Looking ahead

The ESD is expected to continue to improve its services to facilitate foreign nationals’ immigration processes in an effort to attract highly-skilled foreign nationals. Fragomen will report on related developments.

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].