I just came back from the immigration office in Pusat Bandar Damansara (can we call it Damansara City Centre or is this a "nama khas"?). After listening to some of the questions asked by others, I realised that this business of applying for a maid is a complete "blur" for some of us. It is not surprising since the Malaysian Immigration website is not much of a help. Their FAQ link do not work since since it was coded for intranet access rather than internet access. Correcting the link wont work also due to coding errors on their page.

Of course if you are well-off financially, you can apply through a maid employment agency. They should do all the legwork for you. Just supply them with the required items (list of required items is available here).

I have the benefit of having as my friend. He and his wife helped me a lot in navigating the corridors of bureaucracy of the Immigration Department. Based on the experience, I will list out what you should do if you want to apply for a foreign maid to work in Malaysia.

1. Make Sure That You Fulfill The Necessary Requirements

- both parents must be working (if single parent, he or she must be working also)
- have children below the age of fifteen years (if to take care of your ill parents, you need a doctor's letter)
- combined income of more than RM3000 if applying for Indonesian maids; more than RM5000 if applying for Filipino/Sri Lankan maids

2. Getting The Necessary Forms

It looks as though you can download the necessary forms from here. But I suggest that you don't bother since they are incomplete. Instead take a trip to Pusat Bandar Damansara, go to the Immigration Office in Block K and get the necessary forms for RM2 per set from the counter. Ask for "Permohonan PL(KS) PRA - Baru" if you are applying for the first time. If you have applied before, ask for "Permohonan PL(KS) PRA - Gantian". If this is a new application for you, there is a chance that you may make mistakes filling up the forms, therefore you might as well get both sets. Therefore if there is any mistake, you can just substitute it from the other set. Otherwise you can keep the spare set for future applications. That RM2 investment might save you an unnecessary trip to Pusat Bandar Damansara.

3. Filling It Up

A. Maid Already In Malaysia, albeit illegally

If your maid is in Malaysia, get her to sign the following forms first before sending her back;

• Borang IM.38
• Borang Perjanjian Pekerjaan oleh Pembantu Rumah Asing
• Lampiran B (if the employer is non-Muslim)

• 2 for the forms
• 2 for the medical screening (which will be done in her country of origin)
• 4 for her new passport (to be done in her country of origin)
• 2 for FOMEMA medical screening which needs to be done after 9 months of her arrival in this country.
  

• 6 copies of her passport-sized photographs (give a few more extra, just in case)
• Cash for her to do the medical screening and apply for a new passport. Need some extra cash for courier charges also.
  
• Your home address plus your full contact information.
• Get her Bank Nasional Indonesia (BNI) account number, so that you can transfer funds, if so required.

• Borang IM.38
• Borang Perjanjian Pekerjaan oleh Pembantu Rumah Asing
• Lampiran B (if the employer is non-Muslim)
• List of accreditated clinics in her country
  

• Apply for a new passport. Make sure her age is between 25 to 45 years old on the passport.
  
• Get her medical screening done at the most convenient accreditated clinic.
• She should photocopy her new passport (2 copies) and send the photostated pages along with the FINAL medical report to you by courier as soon as they were ready. Please emphasise on this. The FINAL medical report that she is supposed to send to us should consists of 4 different coloured thick pages, with her photo printed on each page. Each page is meant for different people. She should keep the one meant for her in a safe place, since she will need it upon her entry into this country.
• She should also send the forms in 3B along with 2 passport-sized photos of herself along with the above documents.
  

• Fill up all the forms properly. You might help on this since some of the forms doesn't make sense. Don't hesitate to meet any of us :-)
  Of course you kena belanja makan for the assistance rendered :-D
  I had to meet Nazley twice just to figure out the forms.
  
• Bring the Personal Bond and Borang Perjanjian Pekerjaan oleh Pembantu Rumah Asing to the nearest Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) office for the stamp duty of RM10 each and to be date stamped. I usually go to the one nearby Alpha Angle in Wangsa Maju since I can park at the Jaya Jusco. Please note that they have weird working hours so please go EARLY IN THE MORNING to be safe. Otherwise you end up shopping at Jaya Jusco instead since they are closed for the day.
• Bring all the forms to the immigration department along with the ORIGINAL COPIES of the required documents for verification purposes.
  • Colour passport photos of husband and wife - 2 pcs each
  • Photocopy of husband’s and wife’s NRIC - 2 pcs each
    
  • Marriage certificate - original and 2 copies
  • Children’s birth certificate (those below 15 yrs old) - original and 2 copies of each children
  • Latest husband’s and wife’s Form J (Income Tax) - original and 1 copy each (bring 2 copies instead just to be safe)
  • Latest 3 months’ pay slip for both husband and wives - original only required but it wont hurt to bring copies :-)
  • Surat pengesahan jawatan dan gaji bulanan dari majikan yang ditulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia.
    

• they will print out "surat kelulusan pas lawatan kerja sementara" and give it to you.
• you have to run to the nearby BCB bank at Block A and apply for a bank draft for RM430, payable to Ketua Pengarah Imigresen Malaysia
• run back to the immigration office and pay them at counter 5-6 using the bank draft and get the official receipt for that amount
• Make 7 copies of that letter and receipt. Courier both original copies to your maid. Keep the copies safe.
  
• Transfer the plane fare to her bank account

• go to the Malaysian Embassy with the letter, receipt and her passport so that they will stick the "Multiple Entry Visa" into her passport. Since she is doing this on her own, not through an agency, there will be a lot of hassle. Make sure that she is persistent.
• Get her plane ticket to Malaysia and inform you of the date of arrival, the airline, flight number, time of departure and arrival. Remember that the time given is in "Waktu Indonesia Barat" (WIB) if she is from Jakarta. Make the necessary adjustment to local time. You can use WorldMate Plus for this adjustment. You can also use it to check for the flight schedule using the flight schedule component on WorldMate Plus Professional. I used it to confirm my maid's flight info since she only knows the airline's name.
• Make sure that she get on the flight with her luggage, passport and her copy of the medical report. Get her relatives to inform you once she is on the plane.
  

• Keep monitoring the flight time using the KLIA website at http://www.klia.com.my. My maid's flight was delayed for 4 hours. Luckily I was monitoring the flight information on a regular basis. Else I'll be twiddling my thumbs in KLIA for 4 hours.
• Bring 3 copies of of the letter and receipt that you photocopied earlier, your IC, your driving license and a photocopy of your IC.
• Be at the airport half an hour earlier than the arrival time.
• Present yourself at Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) counter at Level 5, explain why you're there, pay RM1 for the visitor's pass, leave your driving license, the photostat of your IC and 1 copy of the letter.
• You'll be escorted into the immigration area. Wait for your maid to arrive.
• Once she's there, bring her to the "Pejabat Kesihatan KLIA", present the medical report and have her passport/letter stamped.
• Fill up the Arrival Card. You can get it from the immigration counter.
  
• Bring her to the immigration counter, present her passport, the Arrival Card, your IC, a copy of the letter and a copy of the receipt. The passport will be stamped again there.
  
• Pick up her luggage from the carousel and go back to Level 5. Return the visitor's pass, take your driving license and pay RM20 for the privilege of being escorted in into the immigration area ;-)
• Go home