SEPANG: Expatriates arriving in Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) can now obtain Immigration pass stickers at the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) Satellite Centre at the airport upon arrival, said Home Minister, Hamzah Zainudin.

He said that under the old system, expatriates may take up to 30 days to obtain an Immigration pass sticker to be allowed to work in Malaysia.

Hamzah, when officiating the ESD Satellite Centre (ESC) today, said that the facility would speed up and ease doing business in Malaysia.

"This ESC is an improvement in services for expatriates and investors who come to Malaysia," he said.

Under the old system, expatriates who have obtained an Immigration pass approval letter while abroad are given a 30-day Special Pass, and within 30 days the employer has to make an appointment at the Immigration office for the process of issuing Immigration pass stickers for expatriates and making payment.

During the 30-day period, these expatriates could not work until the sticker was issued by the Immigration office.

Through the ESC facility, expatriates get an Immigration pass approval letter after applying while abroad and can complete the payment online before they come to Malaysia; they can then get an Immigration pass sticker at the KLIA ESC upon arrival.

Hamzah, meanwhile, said that the Home Ministry was conducting a comprehensive and holistic study involving expatriates, including studying expatriate positions, in an effort to meet the need for the transfer of expertise and technology into the country.

He added that expatriates admitted into the country now consist of Employment Pass category 1 (EP1) which is top management, such as the managing director of the company; as well as Employment Pass category 2 (EP2) and Employment Pass category 3 (EP3) which include lower management personnel.

Based on statistics from the Immigration Department, there are 86,280 active expatriates in the country now, and of that number, 40,948 are from the EP1 category who hold top management positions, he said.

He said that Indian expatriates were the most numerous working and living in Malaysia, followed by China, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Asked whether the ESC facility would be expanded to other airports in the country, Hamzah said that currently, the ESC would only operate at the arrival hall of the KLIA main terminal, 24 hours a day.

"For now, we will use here (KLIA) first because most of the expatriates come through KLIA," he said.

-- BERNAMA