Xpats Gateway is a centralized single-window platform for companies under the purview of Malaysia’s Approving Authorities or Regulatory Bodies, to apply for a Support Letter for hiring expatriates.
The Approving Authority or Regulatory Body under whose purview a company falls would depend on the company’s business/industry in Malaysia.
Prior to this new platform, applications for a Support Letter would be submitted to the relevant Approving Authority or Regulatory Body either manually over-the-counter, via email, or via a designated online portal.
WHY THIS MATTERS
With the centralized platform, communication between the relevant agencies is facilitated and there is a seamless, end-to-end solution to foster an efficient and hassle-free experience when applying for the Support Letter. The processing time for Support Letter applications is also standardised amongst all the Approving Authorities or Regulatory Bodies, i.e., within 10 working days upon submission of complete documents. For fast track, Tier 1 and 2 companies, the processing time is within three working days.
The Xpats Gateway was launched on 15 June 2023.
Moving forward, the application for a Support Letter must be submitted online and manual applications would no longer be accepted by the Approving Agencies or Regulatory Bodies, after the full implementation of the Xpats Gateway scheduled for 15 August 2023.
For unregulated sectors that are not under the purview of an Approving Agency or Regulatory Body, the relevant company may proceed to make its expatriate applications directly to the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) online platform as usual.
More Details
The Xpats Gateway platform can be accessed via the ESD online portal2 and the System User Manual3 has been issued by the ESD for reference.
Currently, the platform is available for limited Approving Agencies or Regulatory Bodies and more will be added by the full implementation date.
For the Approving Agencies or Regulatory Bodies which are yet to be on-boarded to the Xpats Gateway portal, the company may continue to apply for a Support Letter directly.
KPMG INSIGHTS
With this latest update, the Xpats Gateway and ESD portal will be linked. The Approving Authority or Regulatory Body of a company will be linked automatically by the system based on the corporate information completed by the company. Hence, following this announcement from the ESD, it is imperative for the company to update its Approving Authority or Regulatory Body in the ESD portal correctly, if applicable.
Documents required for the Support Letter application are subject to the requirement by each Approving Authority or Regulatory Body, which is available in the Xpats Gateway. It is important to submit a complete application as there is no avenue to revise or provide additional documents; the application will be rejected for incomplete information or documentation. A new application may be submitted again without any “cooling off” period.
After the Support Letter is received, the company may proceed to submit the application for an Employment Pass. The Support Letter is not applicable for making applications for the Professional Visit Pass.
For more details, kindly refer to the FAQ5.
FOOTNOTES
* Please note the KPMG International member firm in the United States does not provide immigration or labour law services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Malaysia.
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