Malaysia - Paths to permanent residency

There are several ways to get PR, mentioned on the immigration website (http://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main ... try-permit).

1) Investors: Individual with minimum USD 2 million Fixed Deposit (FD) at any Bank in Malaysia an will only be allowed for withdrawal after five (5) years.

2) Experts: Individual with expertise, Talent and skill recognized as “World Class” by any International Organization.

3) Professionals: Working in any Government Agency or Private Company in Malaysia for a minimum period of three (3) years and certified by the Relevant Agency in Malaysia. Has outstanding professional skills and is recommended by the relevant government agency.

4) Spouse of citizens: Had been issued with Long Term Visit Pass and stay continuously in Malaysia for a period of five (5) years.

I have experience with #4. The 5 years of continuous stay in Malaysia doesn't mean you can't leave for occasional periods. It is more focused on having a continuous long time pass(es) that cover that entire 5 continuous years. Once you reach this 5 year minimum, you can apply for PR. This approval process can take a few additional years and has several interview processes. In my case, I believe it took 5 years after submitting the paperwork. One year of that was wasted waiting on the next department to continue the process, not knowing that the police investigators had failed to input our interview session into the computer. This required us to go repeat that interview process. So, word of advice, try to check on the status every few months, and if you deal with anyone outside of the immigration department, get separate contact details from them (including names of who you talked to).

Once the whole process is done, you can go to JPN to get a myPR card issued. This will take several months for it to be ready. This card is similar to the national ID card, but is different color and mentions your country of citizenship. In Malaysia, it is a crime to not have your national ID card or passport with you at all times, so having a wallet sized card is much nicer than having to carry a passport.