New members of the Malaysia forum, introduce yourselves here - 2021

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Hey, I’m Paddy, new to KL/Malaysia, well, I’ve been here for 9 months already after getting stuck here back in March when I was on holiday visiting my partner! I’m originally from Ireland but lived in Australia and New Zealand for the last 9 years, was meant to go back to NZ on the 26th and they closed the borders on the 24th of March! I just recently started work in KL as a managing consultant for a recruitment firm and my partner just gave birth to our first baby! Keen to get to know more expats and people in general in the region!

Congrats on the new baby ⚘⚘⚘

Congrats I have been in Malaysia for 5 years. I am an Aussie, but have lived overseas for 17 years, in China, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, UK.  Are you in KL?

Ah, that’s awesome!! Where in aus are you from??Yeah in KL, we just moved to KLCC from Bukit Jail(don’t ask why, the partner chose BJ!!)! What about yourself??

Thanks bro!!

Hi all, we're a half Dutch/half Indonesian family and we're moving through mm2h if all goes well in summer. If we don't meet the timing we will move wife & kids on student & guardian visa and I will follow as a tourist for the time being.
We lived seven years in Dubai and relocated to Amsterdam for a year. Set up my own business there, which I can manage from anywhere. Planning to live in Damansara/Desa Park.

MM2H is a real headache nowadays,  its taking forever,  though i hear there'll be new amendments soon.

Well Paddy, welcome to Malaysia. Sorry that your intro to the place had to be covid but hope you are managing well anyway. Its rough but we pray it wont last. Do you have any good or bad impressions of the place and do you need help with anything?

***

Hi all. Nice to meet!
I am orinally from Portugal.
I lived about 2 years in Malaysia in this case Penang because my work.
Later if possible I will return to Penang again.

Greetings,

There are two places that I would retire too, Malaysia and Portugal. May I ask, why the move to Malaysia?

Prodigal

In my case was because my work and also for a new experience. I received the proposal from my boss to follow and assist some projects in Malaysia. Because the company I work is a multinational company. In that time I also received proposal to work in Mexico. But for me was more interesting working in Malaysia. For me is more interesting Asia than America.

Hi All,
Good day. I am currently planning to move to KL. Still overseas but got a job in KL. So, looking around places/areas to stay and try to understand what to expect in terms of daily life. I am ok with the job and work related matters. I have bit flexibility in terms of starting date and Covid situation may impact travel.

Hello all,
I just accepted a teaching job at KL and am moving there end of June. Can’t wait!

Hi All,

Me and my husband belongs from India right now in Dubai and planning to move to KL. Just wanted to know how the work Life balance in KL in IT companies.

We need to spend more time together and roam around.

Welcome to Kuala Lumpur, or more accurately Malaysia!  You will love this tropical country, there are plenty of outdoor scenery, wildlife and activities to enhance your lifestyle here.  Everything here is relatively affordable, people are nice and welcoming towards foreigners.  You will enjoy your stay here.

Hi,
I am moving with my family to Penang around June.
Wanted to get better idea on cost of living for couple with infant.

Thanks..

Hi everyone. I've been in Malaysia since 2016 but I just discovered this platform today. I came to study for a PhD in English at University of Nottingham and I'd be graduating in July 2021. I do freelance editing and proofreading as well as English tutoring services in my free time. It's a pleasure to meet all of you.

Thanks for your reply.
I am coming from India, moving to Penang.
Thanks for insights.

Hello everyone!

I am an education consultant/educator, and I work in real estate, focusing on the Bangsar South area in general and the Novum Residences in particular. It's a pleasure to meet you all!

I spent four years in the US (University of Chicago) as a national scholar, worked at Accenture for a while, then finally returned to Malaysia to serve my scholarship bond.

Despite my experience overseas, I definitely am not an expatriate but look forward to meeting new friends from this forum!

It's my pleasure to assist you with any questions that you may have about this sometimes chaotic but always interesting country, discuss the history of Malaysia ***

My name is mohamed azim from Maldives , planning to persue my higher education in malaysia but having difficulties due poor academic background/results
Kind regards

Hello.im Josephine Mangune im 39 yrs old im a jobseeker live in Philipines.i have experience in babby sitting all around in housemaid.i have experience work in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.im hardworking trustworthy obedient humble loving person.thank u and Godbless 😇

Hey hey,

I am a local here and I would like to say that I am flattered to know that a lot of people loves staying here in Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is colourful in many ways as we have multiple ethnicities in our country hence we have a lot of different cultures here. Hence, we have a lot of public holidays like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas and many more! Basically you can see a lot in one tiny country!

There are actually a lot more to say about Malaysia and I certainly will try my best to help if you want to know more by just popping a message on WhatsApp or Instagram. Also, please do tell me about your country or places you have been to as I have worked in the United States and Australia before and visited a few countries.

Cheers

I'm dying to get in but mm2h is still on hold. We're all set, once it opens up we'll be sleeping at the doorstep!

Malaysia is amazing, we've toured around the country. It never disappoints. Love the food, the people, nature. Appreciate your welcoming message!

Joey

Hello all,

I have aspirations of retiring to Malaysia in 2 years with my wife after I turn 55. Will apply to the MM2H ideally if the requirements don't change too severely when it's back up. Will hopefully do some exploratory travel there soon. We are living in Northern California in a rural area currently. We are not interested in big city life. Need good community, access to good snorkeling and other outdoor activities.  We are plant-based in our diet (and wife is GF too) so need access to good vegan food. Into outdoors, not into nightlife/drinking. Although love music, culture. Considering Penang (Balik Pulau?), Lankawi, and KK. Even Kota Bahru.

Hi Everyone,
I am Farooqui, planning to move to Malaysia for work, would be living in penang.
I am from India and have visited Malaysia as tourist 2 years back and really loved it so decided to work here atleast for few years.

Looking forward to get my work visa/permit approved.

Hello

My wife and I, along with our 7yr old son and 5 week old daughter are looking for some (actually a lot of)  information on Malaysia.  I'm originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland and my wife is from the Philippines.  We live now in California but are desperately seeking somewhere to escape to within the next few years.  I have always heard good things about Malaysia from friends that either stayed there for a while or have visited on vacation.  It's also close enough to my wife's home town without being invaded by the neighbors on a frequent basis.

Obviously, our main concern is good schools for our kids.  Would rather not have to use private if possible but options are open.

Secondly, good sports facilities are also a must have.  My son is a competitive swimmer and triathlete and I want him to keep pursuing these activities so an area with access to a good swim club and roads for cycling on would also be a big plus.  I have heard that the Ikan swimming club is one of the top swimming clubs in KL

My knowledge of Malaysia is at the minute limited to knowing where Kuala Lumpar is.  We are planning on a long vacation there early next year to see what we think of the country

Im not a big city person but at the same time don't want to live too far away from local amenities

I would appreciate any input on other towns/cities to look at for our needs.  I will hopefully be fully retired and my wife is a fully qualified Pilates/gyrotonic instructor and hoping to find employment out there

Thank you for reading

Hi there,

My name is Jonathan, an official licensed agent for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program.

The MM2H program allows foreigners to stay in Malaysia under a 10 year renewable and multiple-entry visa.

Glad that you are considering Malaysia as your next destination.

Since your knowledge of Malaysia is limited to Kuala Lumpur, may i draw your attention to some other smaller cities. First of all, Malaysia consists of 2 main regions, the Peninsular Malaysia and also East Malaysia.

Peninsular Malaysia is where the capital city Kuala Lumpur is located. East Malaysia (consisting Sarawak and Sabah) is located on the Borneo Island.

Besides Kuala Lumpur. You can also look into Penang, a small island city up north in Peninsular Malaysia.

Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia are also popular destinations. The life in East Malaysia are more laidback and chill as they are less populated. Nevertheless the cities are fairly developed with easy access to amenities. nature reserves and national parks.

Do let me know if you are interested in the the Malaysia My Second Home program. Would be glad to explain more.

Thank you and best regards.

Hi,

I read your post and i have a similar situation with the kids school. If you have any update please inform me and i will do the same

Thank you.

Sarah

Hi y'all, nice to meet you.

My name is Kristel. I am moving to Kota Kinabalu in July. Visa paperwork is being processed as we speak, so fingers crossed that all goes through. I'm currently in Switzerland. I lived for many years in Singapore and a year in Thailand, and during that time travelled to Malaysia quite a bit. So I have some concept of what is coming for me. I'm very excited and hope to find lots of answers and meet new people.
Cheers

Hi all Nice to meet you all  ...
Myself Abhijith I am from India. My wife got an opportunity to work in Malaysia as Onsite from her company. She is working at IT company. Her company also provide the spouse visa so that i can also join her. I am an Accountant. But my doubt is that if i came to Malaysia on spouse visa how much difficult is it for me to find a job and convert my spouse visa to work visa in Malaysia.? As the living cost in Malaysia is little high so it is important for me to find a job there.
If anyone knows about this please help.
Thanks in Advance.

Is it possible to apply for a work visa without a job offer from Malaysia.?? I am planning to move to Malaysia on spouse visa if possible can you share your experience on how you manage to get a valid job offer from Malaysia as an Indian. It will be helpful for me also. Thank you in advance.

I am Manoj from India. It has been 5 years since I came to Kuala Lumpur. KL is my workplace, so I didn't have chance to stay in other states for so long. But somehow I managed to travel the length and breadth of the entire Malaysia during this time, with my friends and family. It has been a wonderful experience so far - with the places we went, with the people we met. I really hope this pandemic will end soon and we can continue our journey exploring more places and meet more people.

My husband and I are both in our early 50s and looking at a possible move with his company to KL from London. Could you offer some guidance about golf for my husband, healthcare costs and possible companies to use - our children of 21 and 18 will visit a few times each year, and Pilates/ yoga for me.
Thanks Beth

Tons of golf but far fewer expats to play with since oil gas crash. .Amazing health care within 2km radius dont waste money on insurances they never pay.I would know.Total scams.Even top.Raffles Sing is best but locally in KL I use Princes Court or Gleneagles.
Shopping awesome Uk prices and fiod no longer cheap.You can kive cheap or live 6 star.We all have choices but try Singapore THEN Malaysia...enjoy life either way and good luck

Hi,
Archimids here from India and i've been in Malaysia since 2017. I really love this country, places, peoples, etc.
I visited langkawi, penang, perhentian, sarawak, KL, etc and it never disappointed me and the peoples, they are very kind and welcoming.

I met very few bad peoples and they tried to get money out from me after they knew that I'm expat.

I've heard stories about the other side of Malaysia but I never experienced yet.

overall, it is the best country to work with.

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

I would like to move from South Africa to Malaysia, can anyone please assist me with info.

Thanks,

Hello Raeesah9831,

Welcome to the Malaysia forum.

You don't seem to have had the chance to check out our Living in Malaysia guide yet. I would suggest that you do so, since it contains all the basic information you might need as a future expat. 

Regarding any other questions you may have...please feel free to start new threads on the Malaysia forum. Our members will gladly answer them. 

All the best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com