1. PURPOSE
1.1 The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has issued a directive to all Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Sarawak that all International Student Pass applications have to be processed via Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) from 1st August 2022.
1.2 All Public and Private Higher Education Institutions located in Sarawak need to ensure that they use the EMGS STARS System for the submission of New and Renewal Applications beginning 1st August 2022.
2. IMPLEMENTATION
2.1 NEW AND RENEWAL STUDENT PASS PROCESS
2.1.1 All New and Renewal Applications must be submitted online through the EMGS Student Application and Registration System (STARS) by Education Institutions. These Institutions will be required to upload the soft copy of the supporting documents via the STARS system during the application submission stage. The STARS System is integrated with the Immigration system and any blacklist/suspect records will be identified when the Education Institutions submit the application. EMGS uses a standardized document checklist to vet the documents required to process a VAL application to ensure consistency and transparency. The checklist is uploaded on the EMGS website for the convenience of the students and Education Institutions.
2.1.2 EMGS uses a standardized document checklist to vet the documents required to process a Visa Approval Letter (VAL) and renewal application to ensure consistency and transparency. Education Institutions can refer to the checklist which is available via the EMGS STARS System.
2.1.3 Once the VAL application is approved by the Immigration Department, both Education Institutions and Students will be able to download an Electronic Visa Approval Letter (eVAL) via the EMGS STARS system and the EMGS Website. This eVAL can be downloaded as a PDF from the STARS system (My Account > My Applications > (Open the application by clicking on the application number) > Print eVAL) as well as from the application tracker on Education Malaysia public website (www.educationmalaysia.gov.my). International Students no longer have to rely on having the Education Institutions courier them the physical VAL.
2.2 STUDENT PASS ENDORSEMENT PROCESS
2.2.1 Once an International Student enters Malaysia and attends the mandatory Post Arrival Medical Screening, Education Institutions located in Kuching will have to submit the International Student’s passport to the EMGS OSC. Once the passport is submitted to the EMGS OSC, EMGS will prepare the necessary supporting documents and submit the passport and documents to the Kuching Immigration Department for their approval. The same process will be adopted for Renewal applications once EMGS has “Supported” the application via the EMGS STARS System. EMGS will notify the respective Education Institutions via the STARS System once the passport is ready for collection from EMGS.
2.2.2 Institutions located outside of Kuching will still have to refer to their district Immigration Department (Kota Samarahan, Miri, Sibu etc.) in order to obtain the student pass endorsement for the International Student. They must ensure that the passport is submitted to the Immigration Department together with the EMGS e-Supporting Letter. The e-Supporting Letter is an official document issued after an application has been vetted and processed by EMGS. This is a mandatory requirement by the Immigration Department to process student pass endorsements.
2.3 MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE
2.3.1 All international students must be covered by a locally purchased medical health insurance scheme. An international student, through their educational institution, can opt for either one of the following Medical Insurances offered by;
2.3.1.1 EMGS Insurance providers
The insurance commencement date will depend on the type of application submitted to EMGS.
2.3.1.2 Educational Institutions in Malaysia are permitted to organize directly or indirectly with insurance companies to offer Medical and Health Insurance to international students, provided such Medical Insurance meets the requirements set by MOHE. These Education Institutions will be required to submit the “Educational Institution Insurance Provider Registration Form” (available for download via STARS) together with the copy of the group policy insurance document indicating the inception and expiry of the policy.
2.3.1.3 EMGS will configure the group cover policy with expiry date in the STARS system if the coverage fulfils all the criteria set in the schedule of benefits. Education Institutions and International Students will then have an option to select “Own Group Insurance” for the student pass application.
2.3.1.4 Kindly note that if the group policy has expired, Education Institutions and International Students will not be able to select the “Own Group Insurance” option in the STARS system. Institutes are then required to renew the group cover policy and submit the document to EMGS.
2.4 MEDICAL SCREENING
2.4.1 Medical screening for international students is mandatory as directed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE).
2.4.1.1 Pre-Arrival Medical Screening
2.4.1.1.1 Following the established guidelines for enrolling international students to Education Institutions in Sarawak, all international students are required to attend a medical screening before arriving in Malaysia as a pre-requisite of their Visa Approval Letter (VAL) application.
2.4.1.1.2 International Students are allowed to do Pre-Arrival Medical Screening at an EMGS Panel Clinic or Non EMGS Clinic. An application must be created in the STARS system by the institution before the student can attend the Pre-Arrival medical screening at the EMGS Panel Clinic.
2.4.1.1.3 Education Institutions must ensure that the medical screening report done at a Non EMGS Clinics must be completed in English and uploaded together with the other supporting documents during the application submission.
2.4.1.2 Post-Arrival Medical Screening
2.4.1.2.1 Post Arrival Medical screening must be completed within seven (7) working days of entering Malaysia at an EMGS Panel Clinic or Non EMGS Clinic.
2.4.1.2.2If the Education Institution or International student decides to undergo the Post Arrival medical screening at a Non EMGS Clinic, they are then required to submit the medical screening report when either submitting the passport to the EMGS OSC or requesting for the EMGS e-Supporting Letter.
2.4.1.2.3 International students who are already in the country and applying to change their course or institution (Variation applications) and students who are progressing to a higher level of study (progression students) will be required to attend an in-country medical screening at an EMGS Panel Clinic or Non EMGS Clinic if the last in-country medical screening was done more than 90 days from the date of applying for a new student pass application.
2.4.1.2.4 Kindly note if international students who are diagnosed with a medical condition that is deemed unsuitable to study in Malaysia, they will be required to bear the cost of leaving Malaysia. The students are also required to exit Malaysia before the expiration of their pass (i.e. entry pass, special pass etc.)
2.5 ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS
2.5.1 EMGS has a dedicated mailbox (additionaldoc@emgs.com.my) for the submission of additional documents to EMGS.
2.5.2 This mailbox is a dedicated channel to prioritise additional documents requested by EMGS. This will ensure faster updates in processing any application which requires corrections since the documents will be sent directly to the relevant team.
2.5.3 This email address should only be used in response to a status of “Required correction” and a request to submit additional documents for:
2.5.4 Education Institutions are required to send all other enquiries and documents including supporting documents for the issuance of e-Supporting letters for Self-endorsement to enquiry@emgs.com.my
2.6 EMGS Contact Channels
2.6.1 EMGS One Stop Centre – Effective from 1st August 2022, the EMGS One Stop Centre (OSC) in Kuching at UTC Sarawak, Jalan Padungan will cater for all Public and Private Education Institutions located in Sarawak. The EMGS OSC will operate between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Public Holidays.
2.6.2 EMGS Contact Centre – Public and Private Education Institutions may also contact EMGS via email at enquiry@emgs.com.my or via call at 03-2782 5888. Our Contact Centre’s operating hours are between 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Sunday, including Public Holidays.
Education Malaysia Global Services
28th July 2022
