Malaysia wants more expats

IN a bid to attract more foreign talent, the government is looking to set up an Expatriate Services Division next month. The move by the Immigration Department is also to give greater ease of doing business and attracting more foreign direct investments (FDIs) into the country.

“The launch of the division reflects the shift towards a more open and proactive approach in immigration towards top foreign talent,” said Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd chief executive officer Johan Mahmood Merican.

More importantly, it indicates the government’s recognition of the valuable role played by top foreign talents not just as strong complements to the Malaysian talent pool, he explained.

Also the intent is to raise awareness in their respective countries about the various opportunities to invest, live and work here.

The division, when fully commissioned will act as an integrated service facility, offering services to expatriates and their dependants in all matters relating to immigration procedures.

It is said that a renewable 10-year visas are on offer. The industries keen on expat professionals include business services, oil and gas, financial services and education.

Talent Corp also facilitates the return of Malaysian professionals from abroad through the Returning Expert Programme (REP). Johan explained the initiative — previously managed by the Human Resource Ministry up to 2010 — was subsequently transferred to TalentCorp in early January 2011.

“Since then, more than 1,600 REP applications have been approved as of end of last year,” he said, exceeding the total number of 1,130 applications approved over the 10 years (2001–2010) following the programme’s inception in January 2001.

The REP has facilitated the return of high-value, C-suite professionals and technical experts mainly in finance and accounting, engineering, oil and gas, healthcare and ICT, he said, revealing that “this is unsurprising” given these are industries in which Malaysia is competitive and local professionals are internationally renowned for.

Working with over 100 Malaysian companies, Talent Corp has organised outreach events across 20 countries including the UK, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Australia, US and Taiwan, he said.

“The country hosts a number of foreign talents working and living here. As our key economic sectors begin to focus more on knowledge intensive and innovation led activities, expatriates provide a talent source capable of boosting the innovation of Malaysia’s workforce through knowledge and skills transfers.

“We often find that whether at home or abroad, there appears to be a lack of awareness of the richness and availability of career opportunities.”

This year, Talent Corp aims to strengthen linkages with Malaysians abroad through future outreach programmes and leveraging on social media tools for wider audience based overseas, he added — especially on priority sectors for professionals seeking careers with international exposure.

In line with the transformation agenda and structural reforms initiated by the government to improve the country’s attractiveness as a global talent destination, Talent Corp started in 2011 aims to drive catalytic talent initiatives and act as the bridge between talent, industry and relevant government agencies to deliver the human capital needed from local and international sources.