Employers are reminded to cancel Malaysian work permits in a timely manner upon completion of a work assignment or face possible adverse consequences, including difficulty getting new work permits for other employees and travel restrictions in Malaysia for the affected individual. Foreign nationals participating in work-related activities in Malaysia require work authorization from the Malaysian government in the form of an appropriate work pass. An individual working pursuant to an employment or secondment agreement to perform professional duties or technical roles that require specific skills with a Malaysian company must obtain an Employment Pass (“EP”). An individual with specialized skills who will provide services to a Malaysian company on behalf of an overseas company must obtain a Professional Visit Pass (“PVP”).

An employee working in Malaysia pursuant to a valid EP or PVP must cancel the work pass upon completion of his work assignment. The cancellation process should be completed no later than three business days prior to the employee’s date of departure and can be completed within one month of the intended departure. The cancellation request must be submitted by the sponsoring Malaysian company.

Failure to cancel on time can lead to a negative record for the employee and the sponsoring company. A negative record may impact the employee’s ability to travel to Malaysia in the future as well as the company’s ability to successfully sponsor future assignees in Malaysia. If a company is not able to complete the cancellation prior the employee’s final departure, it should make a correction with the Immigration Department through an immigration service provider.a