The road to a Permanent Residency in Malaysia can be arduous but fulfilling. Holders of a Permanent Residency (PR) are able to stay and remain in a country indefinitely, seek employment freely, own a business, acquire properties, and enter and exit the country in way that is similar to Malaysian citizens.

While there are many advantages to having a Malaysian PR, there are obvious obligations for a holder. Malaysian permanent residents are obliged to obey and observe the laws in Malaysia at all times, prohibited from engaging in any political parties or associations, and must take into account that their PR status can be revoked at any time if deemed necessary by the Government.

Below we’ve outlined the typical ways to get permanent residency in Malaysia.

Who is Eligible to Get Permanent Residency in Malaysia

Permanent residency eligibility is divided into the following categories:

• High net worth individual;
• Expert;
• Professional;
• Spouse of a Malaysian citizen; or
• Applicants who meet the point system.

High Net Worth Individuals

The first eligible category, which is through an application based on being a high net worth individual, is probably the easiest due to the least amount of requirements needed by the State Immigration Office. According to the Malaysian Immigration, those applying as a high net worth individual need only to open a fixed deposit account with a minimum amount of USD 2 million at any Bank in Malaysia, although it can only be withdrawn after a period of five years. An added bonus to applying as a high net worth individual, besides only needing to fulfill the previous mentioned requirement, is that the applicant’s spouse and children under 18 years old will also be eligible for a permanent residency after five years of stay in Malaysia.

Experts

The second category to be a permanent resident in Malaysia requires more effort and work, as it requires a person with talent or skills in certain industries.  These industries include health and medical, sports, science, technology, banking and finance, among many others (read number 6 on the website for the full list of expertise). Applicants also need a recommendation by the relevant corresponding local agency to their field of expertise in Malaysia and are instructed to submit a certificate of good conduct from their country of origin in order to apply for PR. While not clearly stated, this category of eligibility is probably intended for those who are publicly known in their field of work.

Professionals

The third category involves more demands than the previous method of application and is catered for eligible professionals. Similar to the previous path, those applying for PR as a professional needs to be recommended by a relevant local agency in Malaysia and needs to produce a certificate of good conduct from their country of origin. However, unlike the previous path, the ‘professional’ applicant is compelled to have a minimum of three years working experience for either a government agency or a private company. In addition, the PR status of an applicant using the third path will only be decided within a month of application submission according to the immigration website, although there is no guarantee that an applicants’ submission would be approved by that given time.

Malaysian Citizen’s Spouse

This category is the most demanding for anyone who wants to obtain a PR through these methods. To be eligible for this category it requires an applicant to be a spouse of a Malaysian citizen for a minimum of five years before proceeding further. The applicant also needs to have been issued a long term visit pass and has to have been living continuously in Malaysia for a period of five years along with having at least one Malaysian sponsor.

Application Through A Point-Based System

The last and fifth eligible category is the longest way to obtain a Malaysian permanent resident status. It requires an applicant to go through a point-based system and achieve a minimum of 65 points out of a total of 120 in order to be considered. Criteria for said points as well as additional information for a permanent residency can be found here (read number 7 on the website for a full list on fulfilling the point system). On top of that, applicants using the point-based system also need to have one Malaysian sponsor as well as a certificate of good conduct from their country of origin.

How To Apply

1. Applications must be submitted in the prescribed form to the Immigration Department of Malaysia in Putrajaya for category 2 or any State Immigration Office for categories 1, 3, 4, and 5.
2. Upon submission of the application, the individual applicant and his sponsor are required to attend an interview at the immigration department.
3. If you’re applying as part of category 1, 2, or 3, you must provide a recommendation by the relevant agency in Malaysia with your application.

Obtaining a permanent residency in Malaysia will definitely take time and effort. Having said that, the hassle free immigration requirements and a few citizen-like benefits that come with the PR status will be worth the endeavor for those wishing to make Malaysia a second home.

Read More:

• Settling in Malaysia – Permanent Residency & MM2H
• Permanent Residency Easier For Some
• Malaysia My Second Home Visas (MM2H)
• More about Visas in Malaysia