Effective 1 June 2026, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) will centralise the processing of expatriate applications for companies in the manufacturing sector and selected services sectors through a single platform, the MIDA Expatriate System (MES). The move aims to streamline processing, reduce administrative duplication, and strengthen consistency and security across applications.
The MES will handle all stages of the process including company registration, expatriate post approvals, relevant Pass approvals, and ePass issuance for companies under the purview of MIDA.
For companies that do not fall within the purview of MIDA, the process for its expatriate application remains unchanged.
Under the new process, companies under the purview of MIDA are now required to have an InvestMalaysia account to submit expatriate applications. The MES account is built on the InvestMalaysia platform which has been in operation since 2017. If a company does not have an existing InvestMalaysia account, it will be required to register for a new InvestMalaysia account for application submissions to be made.
With the introduction of the MES platform, all expatriate applications must be submitted through the MES platform, including applications for Employment Passes (EP), Dependant Passes (DP), Long Term Social Visit Passes (LTSVP) and Professional Visit Passes (PVP).
Below is a comparison of the current process and new process for EP, DP and PVP applications:
| Process | |||
| No. | Key Changes | Current Process | New Process |
| EP and DP Application | |||
| 1 | Processing authority | MIDA through Xpats Gateway portal for MIDA Support Letter and Expatriate Services Division (ESD) for expatriate applications | MIDA Expatriate System (MES) for MIDA Support Letter and expatriate applications |
| 2 | Processing time | Tier 1, 2 – 6 working days Tier 3, 4 & 5 – 15 working days | 15 working days |
| PVP Application Process | |||
| 1 | Processing authority | ESD | MES |
| 2 | Processing time | 7-10 working days | 15 working days |
EP Foreign Graduate
In addition, the MES portal will be used for submissions of the EP Foreign Graduate, an Employment Pass designed for international graduates of Malaysian higher education institutions seeking to work in Malaysia without prior work experience. This pass was initially introduced by the Malaysian Government during Budget 2025 and is targeted at five key sectors under the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, namely Electrical & Electronics, Specialty Chemicals, Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Devices.
The EP Foreign Graduate allows foreign graduates to work in Malaysia for up to 24 months with no option for an extension or conversion to other type of passes such as EP, Residence Pass-Talent or PVP.
The introduction of MES will require companies under MIDA’s purview to adopt a centralised immigration framework for the engagement of expatriate employees. This framework enhances transparency by consolidating processing under a single authority and enables a more focused, sector‑specific approach for MIDA‑regulated companies.
Our team can support clients through the new MES framework, including completing the initial MES declaration via the InvestMalaysia portal to activate the expatriate module, managing end‑to‑end expatriate applications under MES, and advising on immigration compliance requirements for MIDA‑regulated companies.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Sasha Reddy
Partner
Hana Rabi
Senior Manager
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