Visa Runs ???

I used to do visa runs until the govt tightened up procedures in late 2018. Now it's very difficult to spend more than six months in a calendar year in Malaysia without MM2H or a spouse or employment visa. I know someone who seems to have got away with it for longer, but wouldn't advise risking it long term. The sentiment here at the moment is quite anti-foreigner.

90 days is limited to certain nationalities like the UK.

Hi
Thank you for replying. I am confused as to why International schools are so desperate to employ ex-pats if the people of Malaysia are so against foreigners. Its them who are paying for these teachers ultimately, isn't it.

Oh Malaysians are delighted to have their offspring schooled by native English speakers at international schools, if they can afford it, because it gives them a leg up in life. But the current climate of fear and hysteria over Covid-19 has caused people to think irrationally when evaluating foreigners' contribution to the economy (in the case of non-working MM2H'ers, bringing a fair amount of money into the country and paying for every single thing they use, apart from the pavements, street lighting and air, with fast-vanishing perks and benefits).

International schools are not desperate to employ expats. They can find teachers to fill vacancies pretty easily. It's the parents of the students or the companies they are working for who pay for the expat teachers, nothing to do with Malaysians paying the teachers salaries unless it is a Malaysian run school, and that is one reason why international school fees are so high.

As for whether or not you can live in Malaysia and doing visa runs, you might get lucky, I did it for years, but these days I heard that immigration is a lot stricter. How long until you will be ready to apply for your MM2H?

MM2H was taking almost a year to process on the Peninsula. And now it looks like there will be a suspension of accepting new applications until at least December. And I seriously doubt international tourism will be allowed to commence at all until well after September.

Currently while Covid-19 is still present they are not even allowing MM2H members the right to leave Malaysia and come back EVEN if they have a longer-term visa and are willing to undertake the covid testing and 2 week quarantine. Essentially no international tourism in and if you go out...that's it. And none of the surrounding countries are allowing international tourists across their borders, so visa hops are out.

Ok so if I understand, someone in your family works at the school and you want to join them until you can apply for MM2H and then what, they leave Malaysia after their teaching ends and you stay here in retirement, is this correct? Or, what is your plan should they leave? They dont have unlimited time here, it was 10 years max and I am not sure the current limit.

Second question is, if you dont now have the high money needed for MM2H at 67 years old, under what circumstances will you have it that dont exist now? Are you still working and saving, or would they be paying you as baby sitter and is that expected income sufficient to top-up the balance needed for MM2H? Or, are you thinking in a different direction, to simply come and live the way you are presently for the longest time possible?

As others have said, it used to be that they would let people in and out but thats mostly gone now. In a case like this, and if you are truly serious about MM2H, its better to stay out until you can apply properly, be granted the status and move here on that program.

What is gone now, and I mean nothing against you personally, is the idea that a person can come, hang-out, see how you like it, see how it goes, hang around here and Asia, maybe stay, maybe go. Today, you need a firm reason which is employment, study or marriage which falls in line with countries like US and Asia and elsewhere. And Immigration would never accept a quasi-promise of maybe applying for MM2H later as the reason to be allowed to stay now and until then. Impossible. They would tell you to apply for MM2H, and preferably from abroad. Your idea was valid and workable in 1995 but not today.

I think of the year 2000 as the good old days but really it was long before that. In 2000 I met an expat who owned an English school in KL. He came in 1976 and simply stayed. He was never questioned or harassed or anything. At some point they straight gave him permanent residence just because he was here so long. He never had a single visa run.

One might think it was easy to stay because things werent organized well. No. Malays are clever and cunning and made it easy because they wanted expertise and capital. Today, they believe they have stripped expats of whatever they could and now its out you go. Expats say, but we bring cash in! Sorry, xenophobia trumps cash unless you bring billions in and even then they still hate you. To me, its small-minded and unreasonable but thats how it is. To some degree, all expats are mistreated and disliked, visa or no visa. Even marriage, kids and a mortgage doesnt change that. Through xenophobia they derive that expats pollute and dilute the culture as well as bring virus and disease with them to destroy the population. Expats think, well I dont care about that! I want to live there! Not so fast, you need locals for cooperation and comradery or you will be miserable.

The reason for the increased difficulty in things like visa runs isnt so much because Malaysia is becoming modern and organized, its moreso because the presence of expats doesnt help the Malay-Muslim population increase and thrive. Even though I am here on a proper visa, I doubt there is an expat who keeps a lower profile than I do. I can tell on the faces of locals how they feel about me as a foreigner and unlike the old days its now uncomfortable to the point that I go out of my way to stay out of their way and thats no way to live.

Its the dream of every expat to live in a place where you are made to feel welcome to some extent and not feel you have to tread lightly just because of your origins. If Malaysia was ever such a place I feel its gone now and that should influence a persons thinking on such large life choices as moving across the world. It obviously behooves an expat to listen to those rumblings in the difficulty of visa runs and MM2H that dont come from me but the government and citizens.

Excellent post. I’ve been traveling Malaysia as tourist for last 5 years and have considered M2H for which I qualify. I suppose the answer in my case would be to embrace a more nomadic situation. Just rotate countries enough to satisfy tourist re-entry. If rents are affordable enough, one could keep multiple flats in different countries.

I am married to a Malaysian have been living here for over 8 years on a tourist visa. Like the earlier post says, I can stay for 3 months. I have had no problems entering Malaysia. And when asked why I am here, I just tell the truth and say I'm married to a local.
I think those who have had problems have had them while doing land border crossings. Whereas I've be flying in and out.

True. I remember some hassle flying from US to Malaysia-asking for return ticket in advance. I’ve managed to fly anyway with a one way in. And always no hassle ever from Malay immigration on way in. No questions, nothing. They just stamp the PP. Curious if this is changing.

Your son can apply dependent pass for you, he has to go to the immigration department in putrajaya and sort it out, if not get the information of the agent which the employer of your son working with and contact the agent direct to get the visa done.

Us USA passport holders enjoy 90 days upon arrival, also.