International students can obtain Malaysian visas within a week

International students wishing to pursue their education in Malaysia can hereafter obtain their visas in a week, unlike 19 days duration earlier.

Mohd Fardi Ahmad, Immigration Department's Visa, Pass and Permit Division Director, was quoted by Bernama (Malaysian official news agency) as saying that foreign students will now be able to download the VAL, or Visa Approval Letter, on the very day it is issued, cutting down the delivery time of three to six weeks to send the hard copy documents to students by post or courier in their home countries.

Moreover, Malaysia’s Immigration Department had also decided to introduce the e-Visa for students from 10 countries – India, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Montenegro, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Serbia - in August 2017.

Ahmad said students belonging to these 10 countries will be able to apply online for a single-entry visa after the receipt of the VAL, hastening and simplifying for them travel to study in Malaysia.

They can also keep tabs on their applications status and progress via the Student Application and Registration System when they input their passport number and country.

Datuk Rujhan Mustafa, EMGS (Education Malaysia Global Services) CEO, said they had partnered with the Immigration Department with an aim to reach an enrollment of 200,000 overseas students by 2020. Totally owned by Malaysia’s Higher Education Ministry, EMGS is the official portal for foreign students wishing to enrol in Malaysia.

On 8 March, he said that one of the main obstacles for international students to get into Malaysian educational institutions was getting the necessary documentation. He was confident that now all that could be done online more quickly.

EMGS is focusing on China and Indonesia, its largest source countries of students, to attain its target by 2020. They would be followed by students from the Gulf, Central Asia and South East Asia.

In addition, EMGS along with Royal Malaysia Police and the Immigration Department has come out with the Multinational Academic Recognition System, the main record for all academic certificates and transcripts created to counter fraud.

If you are looking to study in Malaysia, talk to Y-Axis, the world’s No.1 immigration and visa company, to apply for a visa.