Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced on July 14 that the Immigration Facilitation for Strategic Investors Nomad Workers in the Manufacturing Sector needed to be improved to ease doing business and facilitate both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) in Malaysia.
Today, a presentation was held on those passes being handed out by the Prime Minister to several investors and nomad workers at the Prime Minister’s Department today (July 24).
The immigration facilitation is accorded to Strategic Investors committing quality investments with a value of at least RM5 billion in Malaysia, particularly in the targeted manufacturing sectors promoted by the Government through its New Investment Policy (NIP) and the upcoming New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030.
The specifically tailored Residence Pass Talent (RP-T) that is processed by TalentCorp will facilitate the entry and stay of eligible investors, as well as their spouses and dependants for up to 10 years in Malaysia.
On the other hand, the Digital Nomad Pass for the manufacturing sector will enable digitally or technically skilled foreign talents to stay in Malaysia with their spouses and dependants for up to two years. This will ride on the DE Rantau Digital Nomad Pass which was newly introduced in October 2022 by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
In a statement, issued today, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz said, “The key objective of the RP-T and DE Rantau Digital Nomad Pass is a part of the Government’s holistic efforts to improve and strengthen the country’s investment landscape and ecosystem. This immediate measure is crucial for Malaysia to capitalise on multinationals’ current re-designing of their global supply chains, as they move away from cost-efficiency to supply chain security as part of their global risk diversification strategy.
“MITI would like to thank all relevant government ministries and agencies that have helped support this immigration facilitation for the manufacturing sector which will certainly help attract quality high value investments and highly skilled professionals, as well as improve the competitiveness of the local workforce and stimulate digital entrepreneurship.”
The Residence Pass Talent (RP-T) and Digital Nomad Pass De Rantau programmes will enhance Malaysia’s global reputation as a destination that welcomes and values highly skilled professionals. This, in turn, could attract further talent, investments, and opportunities for international collaborations. By facilitating talent attraction and acquisition, MITI is also enhancing the investor’s journey, while making Malaysia’s business ecosystem more vibrant and supportive to existing and future investors.
This immigration facilitation was jointly coordinated by MITI with the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN), Ministry of Human Resources (KSM), Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD), Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
For the record, Malaysia attracted RM71.4 billion in approved investments during the first quarter of 2023. The services sector led other sectors with a value of RM53.6 billion, accounting for 75.1% of the total approved investments. The information and communications sub-sector came second with approved investments valued at RM24.9 billion, representing a substantial 46.5% share. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s manufacturing sector attracted RM15.6 billion or 21.8% of the total approved investments.
