Spouse Visa Malaysia: Transferring LTSVP to a new passport

I recently replaced my passport. Once I had received it I decided to transfer my LTSVP to the new passport at Jalan Duta (KL).

Some people suggest waiting until the LTSVP is expiring and then do the transfer and renewal in one go, but this could cause problems such as:

• If travelling overseas the LTSVP should be in the new passport.
• Renewing LTSVP online may not be possible, as it can't be done with a new passport number. If the old passport number is used it must have at least 6 months duration left. 
• If asked for ID by police or immigration they may insist that the LTSVP is in the new passport.

I went to Immigration at Jalan Duta to ask about the process and was told that I needed an STO appointment, my Malaysian spouse to be present and to complete Surat Akuan, Imm.55 & Im.38. Therefore I had a Surat Akuan attested at a Commissioner For Oaths (cost RM30) and completed the other forms.

However, when I returned on my STO appointment date with the Surat Akuan and the completed forms I was told they weren’t needed. The correct process is:

1. Make STO appointment. I used the ‘Kutipan Passport' option at Jalan Duta, but some state offices may require the transfer endorsement option to be used, or you might be lucky and not need to make an appointment at all. https://sto.imi.gov.my/STO/home.php 
2. Complete the IM.12 form (and attach passport photo) and bring it to your appointment. You can get IM.12 from Immigration.
3. Bring the following documents to your appointment:

• Old and new passports (plus copies of bio pages)
• Marriage certificate (plus copy)
• Spouse IC (plus copies of both sides)
• Current LTSVP (plus copy)

It took under 3 hours from taking a number to collecting the passports.

I was not charged a fee for transferring my LTSVP, but apparently certain nationalities do need to pay a fee to have their multiple entry visa transferred. The immigration officer can advise you.

My new passport has now been registered on the Immigration system so I can use it for renewal of LTSVP. 

I can also use it at the Autogates when travelling through KLIA and KLIA2, although the first time I travelled on my new passport the system did not recognise it so I had to go to the manual counter. On subsequent trips I was able to use the Autogates without any problems.

Malaysian Permanent Residence: Learning and Improving my Bahasa Melayu for PR Interviews

When I submitted my application in KL I was told by the Immigration officer that I must speak Bahasa Melayu (BM) in the interviews. One of the conditions on the KL Immigration Permit Masuk application checklist is the following:

My Immigration and Police interviews were both conducted in BM, as was the Home Visit, so I had to understand the questions and respond in BM. 

 
I had taken BM lessons in the past, but I did not speak it often and I wasn't very confident about answering questions in BM in the PR interviews. However I put in a lot of preparation and successfully passed both interviews. While the officers wanted me to only speak BM, they did not appear to expect me to be completely fluent in it.

This is how I learnt/improved my BM:
 
1) Took BM lessons

I had previously taken BM lessons once a week for 3 months which taught me the basics and gave a good foundation for understanding the language. Here are examples of available classes:

• https://www.alslanguage.com.my/ 
• https://www.ymcakl.com/page/204/Language-Courses/ 
• https://expatsmalaysia.my/malay-language-course/

Online BM tutors can be found on these websites:

• https://www.italki.com/en/teachers/malay
• https://preply.com/en/online/malay-tutors

Another option are YouTube channels such as these:

• https://www.youtube.com/@sierralisse8897 
• https://www.youtube.com/@TinaAmir 
• https://www.youtube.com/@ILearnMalay 
• https://www.youtube.com/@IWannaLearnMalay

2) Used a language learning app

I used the Ling language app to practice speaking and listening to BM in everyday situations:  https://ling-app.com/. This article lists other BM learning apps:  https://ling-app.com/ms/best-apps-for-learning-malay/

3) Revised interview questions and practiced answering them

I wrote and revised a list of likely questions and my answers, plus learnt the national anthem (Negaraku) and national principles (Rukun Negara).
 

Example Interview Questions:

I searched Facebook Groups to find questions other applicants said were asked during their interviews. I translated these questions and my answers into BM:

 
Questions about the applicant and spouse:

• Can you speak Bahasa Melayu?
• What is your name?
• What country do you come from?
• What is your address/where do you stay?
• Do you own or rent the house?
• What is your age?
• What is your date of birth?
• Where were you born?
• What is your wife/husband’s date of birth?
• What is your religion?
• What date did you first come to Malaysia and what was your reason for visiting?
• What was the date of your first LTSVP?
• How long have you lived in Malaysia?
• How and when did you meet?
• How long you have been married?
• What was your marriage date?
• Do you have any children?
• What are your occupations?
• Which company do you/your spouse work for?
• What are your salaries?
• What is your wife/husband’s monthly salary?
• How many family members do you have?
• Do you have siblings?
• Do you have family in your home country?
• What are your family members occupations?
• Where does your family live?
• How many siblings does your wife/husband have?
• Where does your wife/husband’s family live?
• How many times do you go to your country in a year?
• What are your education qualifications?
• What are your wife/husband’s qualifications?
• Why do you want to apply for PR?
• What do you like about Malaysia?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What does your wife/husband like to do?
• What food do you like?
• What is your telephone number?
• Have you had any problems with the police in your country?
• Do you follow politics? Foreigners are not allowed to get involved in Malaysian politics.
  

 
General knowledge questions about Malaysia:

• What is the National Flower?
• What colour is the National Flower?
• What is the name of the Malaysian flag?
• How many colours does the flag have and what are they?
• How many stripes and what other symbols are on the flag?
• When is Independence Day (Hari Merdeka)?
• When is Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia)?
• How many states and federal territories are there?
• What are the names of the states and federal territories?
• Who is the King?
• Who is the Prime Minister?
• Who is the Deputy Prime Minister?
• Who are some other cabinet ministers?
• Who was the first Prime Minister?
• Can you name all the Prime Ministers?
• Can you recite the national principles (Rukun Negara)?
• Can you sing the national anthem (Negaraku)? You should stand up to show respect.

Applicants can be asked to recite Rukun Negara and sing Negaraku at one or both interviews. 

Watching YouTube videos helped me learn them:

Rukun Negara: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEdSOkhI88 

Negaraku: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNUQ0QZUdg

Malaysian Permanent Residence: Police Interview for Spouse

Attend Police Interview (April 2023)

I had my interview at Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontingen in KL, the process may be different at other police stations. 

The immigration officer had said that the police would call us to arrange the interview between 6 months and 1 year after the immigration interview but we actually received a call after 5 months, and were asked if we could come to the police station the next day.

The police officer asked us to bring the originals and 2 copies of the following documents:

• Foreign spouse passport (copy bio page)
• Foreign spouse LTSVP 
• Foreign spouse birth certificate
• Malaysian spouse IC (copy both sides)
• Malaysian spouse birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Immigration confirmation letter (given to us after we submitted the application)

We also brought the original documents submitted as part of our Immigration application (current & old passports/IC/marriage certificate/birth certificate/ sponsor’s pay slips & employment letter/utility bill/bond receipt etc) in case we were asked to show them.

I also printed a list with the following information:

• Family members of both spouses with name, age, occupation & address
• Schools the foreign spouse has attended
• Foreign spouse's education qualifications

The police officer was pleased we had printed this list as it made her job a little easier.

Our interview was as at Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontingen (IPK), KL (near LaLaPort mall). We parked in the police compound and registered at the gate. We arrived very early ahead of our appointment, but there was no need to do so as we had to wait by the gate until we were collected by an officer at the appointed interview time. 

The interview was conducted in Bahasa Melayu (BM) by an officer from Special Branch (Cawangan Khas), and both my wife and I were interviewed together. The officers were professional and made us feel at ease. Another couple had their PR interview with a different police officer in the same room, at the same time.

We were primarily asked about our relationship history, occupations and salaries, family members, education, and the reasons for my PR application. The police can also ask the same questions as Immigration, including requesting to recite the Rukun Negara and sing Negaraku.

See this post for how I improved my BM for the PR interviews, and questions that might be asked: 

https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2023/04/malaysia-permanent-residence-pr-permit_20.html

The interview took 90 minutes, including time the officer spent entering data into their system.

I was advised that my file will now be forwarded to Bukit Aman for background checks, a process that can take approximately 1 year. Following this, the file will be returned to Immigration for review before being sent to Putrajaya for a final decision.

The police officer said I should regularly follow up with Immigration to check the status of my file, and that I must continue to renew my LTSVP.

I checked my status online at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/eservices/myPermit?semakStatusPermit

NEXT STEP: Immigration and Police Home Visit, File Transfer to Putrajaya and Permit Masuk Approval: https://spousevisamalaysia.blogspot.com/2024/12/malaysia-permanent-residence-pr-permit.html