Hire Your Professionals Expatriate Smoothly
One-stop recruitment solution for foreign white-collar professionals in Malaysia.
Expatriate Application Services
As a professional human resources agency, HireHub provides expert services to help clients navigate complex hiring processes:
- Unfamiliar with ESD Application
- First-time hiring foreign expatriates
- Foreign companies setting up new factories in Malaysia, not knowing where to start
- Confusion with Malaysian official processes, leading to missed documents, rejections, or missed deadlines
What is the Expatriate Services Division (ESD)
The Expatriate Services Division (ESD) is a regulatory unit under the Immigration Department of Malaysia responsible for managing expatriate employment.
ESD acts as the primary point of contact for companies hiring expatriates.
Through the ESD online portal, companies can:
- Register employer accounts
- Submit visa applications for expatriates and dependents
- Make payments
- Track application status
- Manage expatriate passes
Company Eligibility & Requirements
To register an employer account, your company must be a registered entity in Malaysia, such as
- Sdn Bhd
- Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
- Registered Society
- Foreign Company
Additional requirement: If the company is foreign-owned, it must appoint at least one resident director residing in
Malaysia.
The Registration Timeline:
- Initial Review: Approximately 14 working days.
- Activation: Requires the signing of a Letter of Undertaking (LoU) to unlock your quota eligibility.
Expatriate Employment Pass (ESD) Solutions
This is the visa application for the recruitment of foreign white-collar professionals, such as engineers, managers, and senior executives. We provide A-Z consultation service that ensures a smooth and efficient permit application, leveraging our expertise to secure visa within the shortest time possible.
We manage the initial registration of your company with the ESD portal, ensuring all corporate documents meet the strict eligibility criteria required by the Immigration Department.
We guide you through the mandatory company activation process, including the submission of the Letter of Undertaking (LoU), to unlock your quota eligibility.
We handle the full application submission for Employment Passes (EP) and Professional Visit Passes (PVP), including vetting documents and drafting strong justification letters to minimize rejection risks.
Once approved, we coordinate the final logistics of submitting passports to immigration for the visa sticker endorsement, ensuring your talent is legally ready to work immediately.
Minimum Paid-Up Capital Requirements
The required paid-up capital depends on the company’s ownership structure:
Ownership Type
Minimum Paid-Up Capital
2026 Employment Pass Reforms & Salary Requirements
Effective 1 June 2026, the Malaysian government is implementing significant reforms to Employment Pass (EP) categories, minimum salaries, and tenure.
Employment Pass Categories
Employment Pass (Category I)
Employment Pass (Category II)
Employment Pass (Category III)
EP Category
Current Minimum Salary
Revised Minimum Salary (From 1 June 2026)
Max Tenure
Minimum Employment Constract Time
Dependent Privileges
Renewability
Minimum salary is set at RM7,000 – RM9,999.
Starting 1 June 2026, all EP categories are allowed to bring dependents. Eligible dependents include spouse, children under 21, and parents. This benefit now also applies to Category III, which was previously restricted.
Minimum Requirements to Obtain Employment Pass
- Candidates must hold a degree or higher qualification and have at least 3 years of experience in the relevant field.
- Candidates with a diploma should have a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
- Those with a technical certificate or equivalent must possess at least 7 years of experience in the relevant field.
Minimum Requirements for Shareholders
- The shareholder(s) must own at least 30% of the company’s equity; AND
- They must be a Director registered with SSM AND/OR occupy a key role within the company.
Professional Visit Pass (PVP)
- Allows the holder to engage in Temporary Employment / contracted activity in Malaysia under the ESD-registered company.
- Maximum duration of contract allowed is for 12 months and is restricted to one contract / project at a time.
- The position is non-salaried.
- Payment and endorsement of PVP can be done via online.
- The PVP is non-renewable.
Mandatory Compliance & Local Succession Planning
Must be registered with The Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) under Companies Act 1965.
- Local Succession Plan (New Requirement)
For Category II and Category III applications submitted after 1 June 2026, companies must provide a Local Succession Plan.
This document must explain:
• How the expatriate will transfer knowledge and skills
• How a Malaysian employee will be trained
• The timeline for localization within the expatriate tenure
- MYFutureJobs & JTKSM Requirements
Before submitting an Employment Pass application, employers may need to complete the following steps through Xpats Gateway:
- Advertise the position
- Prioritize hiring Malaysian talent first
Approval from the Department of Labour (JTKSM) confirming:
- Compliance with Malaysian labour laws
- Justification for hiring expatriates
Common Reasons for Employment Pass Rejection
Employment Pass applications may be rejected due to:
• Missing payslips • Incorrect company information
• Basic salary below minimum threshold
• Allowances and bonuses are not counted as basic salary
• Failure to demonstrate why the role cannot be filled by a Malaysian
• Outstanding tax liabilities
• Failure to contribute to EPF or SOCSO
Other Specialized & Digital Immigration Passes
The Professional Visit Pass is a short-term work pass for foreign professionals performing temporary assignments in Malaysia.
For temporary assignments (up to 12 months) where the professional remains employed by an overseas company. Salary cannot be paid by the Malaysian host company
- Technical installation
- Specialist training
- Project implementation
The Investor Pass allows foreign investors to enter Malaysia for business activities.
A multiple-entry visa valid for up to 6 months.
Eligible applicants include:
- New investors exploring investments
- Investors negotiating projects with government agencies
- Existing investors not employed by Malaysian companies
The e-PASS is the digital version of immigration passes.
A modern digital pass with QR code verification (Downloadable through the ESD portal), reducing the need for physical passport sticker endorsements.
- Employment Pass (EP)
- Dependent Pass (DP)
- Professional Visit Pass (PVP)
- Other immigration passes
Need Manpower Solutions?
We’ve Got You Covered.
- Headhunting Services
- Local Worker Recuitment
- Foreign Worker Recruitment
- Expatriate Application Services