Page 137 - kpi19897

Permanent residency for foreigners is through

the acquisition of the Residence Pass. Currently, Malaysian
Immigration has two residence pass categories applicable to
foreigners: Category 3 (for a person with family ties with a

Malaysian citizen) and Category 4 (for a person with family ties
with a permanent resident of Malaysia). These categories
20
are consistent with Regulation 16A of Malaysia’s 1963
Immigration Regulations (Malaysia Immigration, 2016). Residence
Pass holders are eligible to work, study and set up a business

in Malaysia without having to convert to another pass (e.g.,
employment pass). Latest statistics on foreign permanent

residents from the Malaysian government are unavailable, but
the stock estimates on overseas Filipinos show that there are
around 26,000 Filipino permanent residents in Malaysia. An

observation of the programs also of Malaysia for foreigners is
that a visible length of stay in the country is a requirement,

implying that the country is testing the endurance of foreigners
should they wish to become permanent residents in the country.

20 See this URL for further details: http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/
main-services/pass.html?id=284

136

134-200 inside_PolicyForum_figure1_New.indd 136 30/1/2562 BE 14:27