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have lived in Malaysia for five straight years (with a legal entry

permit), or have married a Malaysian citizen for ten years (ASEAN
Briefing, 2015). Even Malaysia has a program, called Malaysia
My Second Home Program (MM2H), for foreigners wanting to

stay with a long-term visa (i.e., ten years) (ASEAN Briefing, 2015).

But Malaysia has been running a talent search program

for years, handled by Talent Corporation (or TalentCorp), an
agency under the Prime Minister. The target here is skilled

Malaysian citizens and expatriate talents, the former those
working and residing in foreign lands (World Bank, 2015). Two
main programs are offered by TalentCorp.: the Returning Expert

Programme (REP) for Malaysians in diaspora, and the Residence
Pass-Talent (RP-T) for expatriate workers (see Figure 1 for a

visualization of the Talent Corp. program to attract skilled
talents).

RP-T applicants are eligible if:

• They have worked in Malaysia for three years;
• Hold a valid employment pass upon submission

of application;
• Has a degree and/or professional certificate;
• Has at least five years of work experience;

• Earns a gross annual income of RM144,000; and
• Have paid income taxes for a minimum of two

years (World Bank, 2016).

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