KUALA LUMPUR: Students from overseas can now obtain their visa in seven days, as compared to 19 days previously.
Immigration Department’s Visa, Pass and Permit Division Director, Mohd Fardi Ahmad said the students could now download the Visa Approval Letter (VAL) the same day it was issued, saving three to six weeks of delivery time to post or courier the hard copy document to students in their home country.
Another step taken by the immigration department was the e-Visa which was introduced to students from 10 countries, namely China, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Serbia and Montenegro in August last year.
“Students from these 10 countries can apply online for the single-entry visa after receiving the VAL. Applications are processed within 48 hours, making it faster and easier for students to embark on their education journey to Malaysia,” he said.
The status and progress of the applications can also be tracked through the Student Application and Registration System by keying in the applicant’s passport number and nationality.
Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) chief executive officer Datuk Rujhan Mustafa said its collaboration with the immigration department was aimed at achieving a 200,000 enrolment of foreign students by 2020.
“One of the major hindrances for foreign students to study in Malaysia is obtaining the required documentation. But now, everything can be done online at a faster pace,” he told a press conference here today.
In reaching its target by 2020, EMGS has targeted Indonesia and China as the biggest contributor of foreign students, followed by the Middle East, South East Asia and Central Asia.
Besides that, EMGS, together with the immigration department and Royal Malaysia Police has created the Multinational Academic Recognition System, a central database for all academic transcripts and certificates produced to thwart fraud.
EMGS is wholly owned by the Higher Education Ministry and is the official gateway for foreign students to study in Malaysia. - Bernama