Visa approval letters in a day
STUDENTS can soon get their visa approval letters (VAL) on the day it is issued.
The VAL is mandatory for new students entering the country, with applicants waiting for up to a month to get it.
The implementation of the electronic Visa Approval Letter (eVAL) from Oct 15, would speed up the application process, said Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali.
Currently, VAL is manually issued by the department, and distributed to higher education institutions by Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) – a wholly owned company of the Higher Education Ministry.
The document will then be couriered to students in their home country – which may take up to a month to reach.
“The pilot phase for eVAL is from Oct 15 to Dec 31.
“During this time, applications to all higher learning institutions, and selected language and skills training centres, can use the eVAL,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
The two-month trial run was to iron out any issues with the system.
With eVAL, students could access the document via EMGS’ student application and registration system (STARS) the moment it’s issued by the department.
“This allows them to travel to Malaysia faster,” Mustafar said, adding that eVAL could be instantly downloaded by the student and institution.
EGMS chief executive officer Prof Datuk Dr Rujhan Mustafa said eVAL simplified the process for students to come here.
He said the move would enhance international student services.
With a copy of the eVAL, students from visa required countries can apply for the single entry visa. – By