The MYXpats Centre is a newly opened one-stop centre that will process and issue all Employment Pass applications and other related passes for expats working in Malaysia. Editor Chad Merchant paid a visit and shares the details here.

As another step forward in the delivery of immigration services for expats in Malaysia, the recent launch of the Malaysia Expatriate Services Centre, or MYXpats Centre, represents an innovative and efficient evolution of the ongoing charter in this field. The planned enhancement of immigration services was announced in December 2012, and rolled out in a big way with the launch of the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) in Putrajaya in June 2014. At that time, the call for a five-day processing time for employment passes was made, and within a year, that goal has been met. Now, with the customer-centric MYXpats Centre fully operational, it’s safe to say expats can expect more good things to come.

Located in Surian Tower in Mutiara Damansara, just by The Curve shopping mall, the 16th-floor MYXpats Centre exudes friendliness and accessibility as soon as you enter. Comfortable, colourful, and welcoming, it’s a far cry from what you might expect a government office to look like. To the right of the main service counter are a number of cosy “pods” with power points and integrated desktops, so that company clerks or others waiting for their tasks to be completed can plug in their laptop or smartphone and comfortably continue working while they wait. Complimentary beverages are also on hand.

Jointly managed by Talent Corporation Malaysia (TalentCorp) and the Immigration Department of Malaysia, and overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the MYXpats Centre puts a number of expat-focused tasks conveniently at hand, eliminating the need for companies and individuals to travel to Putrajaya for every employment pass-related matter.

TalentCorp manages the day-to-day operations of the MYXpats Centre, supporting the Immigration Department with talent-specific inputs, and providing employers and applicants with services that are easy to use and access. MYXpats Centre will help support Malaysia’s aspirations to achieve high income status by 2020. By enhancing expatriate immigration services it will serve to enhance the ease of doing business in Malaysia for investors. MYXpats Centre processes and issues the following expatriate passes: Employment Pass, Dependent Pass, Social Visit Pass (Long Term) and Visit Pass (Temporary Employment). The centre leverages on TalentCorp’s experience working with leading employers in key industry sectors such as electrical and electronics, oil and gas, financial services, and business services, among others.

Last year, Immigration made it a requirement for companies which hire expats to register online with the ESD, which streamlines and speeds up the whole process. Additionally, and in tandem with the launch of the ESD on 19 June 2014, a client charter was announced with the five-day employment pass processing requirement. Since that initiative was announced, the turnaround time has improved dramatically, and the 70% KPI figure promptly surpassed.

We spoke with Mr Siva Kumeren, TalentCorp’s Head of Foreign Talent Facilitation and Shared Services, and he spoke of the holistic approach that the MYXpats Centre has really helped to facilitate. “With the opening of the ESD, our focus was to move from product-centred to customer-centred,” he explained. “Now, with the MYXpats Centre, we’ve added a service-centred component to it.” And this well-rounded ethos has paid dividends, not least for expats awaiting their employment passes. “When the client charter was signed last year, it was very uncommon for an employment pass to be approved and issued in five days. Even in the first half of 2015, only about half of the applications were turned around in that timeframe. But with the soft opening of the MYXpats Centre in June, that number jumped up dramatically. In the first month of operations, 88% of employment pass applications were processed within five working days, and that percentage has gone up every month since then.”

See the graphic below for the overview of the process you can expect at the MYXpats Centre. The centre’s Surian Tower location facilitates easy parking at The Curve with a dedicated link connecting the shopping mall to the office tower. Particularly for expats in Petaling Jaya, or even in the northwest quadrant of KL, the location is quite convenient. The MYXpats Centre maintains normal business hours, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Read more:

• Common Questions Answered for Expats Investing in Malaysian Property
• 8 Tax Tips for US Expats Living in South East Asia
• 8 Basic Tips for New Expats in Malaysia

Source: The Expat magazine October 2015