Bluenose1

Pleased to say I received my first Long Term Stay Visit Pass this morning - only for 6 months, but it's a start. Will apply again in September. Mind you, taking up a full page in the passport, I hope the next one is for longer than 6 months!

bakedbean

That's good news...well done. But why only 6 months? That is their reasoning I presume?

Bluenose1

Thanks Bakedbean. I believe the LTSVP is the replacement of the spouse visa. According to my wife it's to show that we are still married and living together. The UKBA works in the same vein, except they will give a 2 year spouse visa initially.

Hovite

Congratulations Bluenose1. I hope you get a longer duration when you reapply. The short duration might also be related to income - that was one question they asked me when interviewed.

Bluenose1

Thanks Hovite. Income? Hmm.... I'm (hopefully!) retired and my UK pensions don't currently amount to that much! Enough to get by on, certainly, but not quite in the RM10K per month required by such as the MM2H visa! We do have savings from my lump sums and my redundancy though. Having said that, there was no mention of income on my application form, and I wasn't actually asked any questions when I applied. My wife and sister-in-law (my sponsor, who did have to prove income) were with me and they did all the talking; it was all in Bahasa Melayu, so I cannot be certain either what they were asked or what their responses were! In those situations, I have learned to sit back quietly and let them get on with it - it usually works out for the best!

Hovite

Bluenose1 I know what you mean about letting them get on with the talking. I have the same attitude both with Bahasa and Chinese (Hakka in my wife's case). It sounds like our LTSVP application processes were slightly different. I was interviewed in English and was asked about my salary. I applied for a 5 year visa, which was granted. We were married in 1978 which may have also been a factor in granting 5 years.

No1MCf

Hello Bluenose1

Congratulations on getting your visa. Like you, I would like to take early retirement and live in KL in the near future, but not through the MM2H programme. Would you say that it was easy and straightforward to obtain a spouse visa?

Hovite

Hi No1MCf and welcome to the forum. A 'spouse visa', from my experience is a Long Term Social Visit Pass, the duration of which is up to 5 years depending on your position. The process in Sabah was reasonably straightforward once we had overcome a major obstacle made almost impossible by the rules under which the UK High Commission in KL operate. I won't bore you with the saga suffice to say if it was not for the Malaysian authorities bending over backwards to help us I would never have got my LTSVP. My advice, to avoid experiencing the same problem, is to ensure your marriage to a Malaysian citizen is registered with the Malaysian Authorities in London BEFORE you leave the UK. You will given a Malaysian marriage certificate when you do this. (Assuming you were married in the UK and have not already registered) This is essential for the LTSVP.

Bluenose1

Thanks No1MCf! As Hovite says, it is a Long Term Social Visit Pass. I was married in Malaysia in 2008. We lived in the UK (my wife eventually received Indefinite Leave To Remain in March this year and we came to Malaysia shortly after). I actually came in on a one-way flight (a bit risky, but fortunately no problem at immigration). My application was relatively straightforward, but I did have to get my sister-in-law (who runs her own business) to sponsor me as (apart from my pensions) I had no income. As I mentioned, though, I have only been given a 6 month visa initially. Incidentally, I did have to get (every page of) my passport photocopied and certified by a Notary Public as a true copy. It took Immigration (in Melaka) 2 weeks to gran my visa.

No1MCf

Hi both, thanks for the excellent information. I'm so glad to have come across this forum and met you guys.

We've not registered with the Malaysian Authorities in London, but will do so asap. Do I apply for the LTSVP in London or KL?

I won't have a steady income once I give up my job here and my in-laws do not own their own business. Will that be a problem you think?

Bluenose1

I guess not having a regular income and not having anyone with a regular income to sponsor you for LTSVP may be a problem. Of course, if you have a savings pot and have some of it in a Malayasian Bank Account that may help! I don't remember being asked about our savings (or bank accounts) though, but that may have been because S-I-L is my sponsor and that satisfied the financial requirements. Each case is different of course. I suspect the requirement is similar to the U.K. in that you probably have to prove you have the means to survive..... and my visa states that I am not allowed to work here, although I think there may be a way round that. I haven't tried, but maybe someone else has and can pass on advice?

I'm not sure if you can apply outside Malaysia - maybe worth asking at the Embassy? We visited Malaysia last year and went to the Immigration office in Melaka to pick up the forms. I then applied from within Malaysia (again at the Melaka Immigration office) about 2 weeks after I arrived here on a 90 day visit stamp.

No1MCf

Thanks Bluenose1. I do have savings and will open an account when we're in KL in June. I've only just started looking into the possibility of living in Malaysia when I came across your posting. My in-laws are comfortably well off but retired or working freelance.

We were in Melaka a couple of years ago and stayed in a very nice hotel that was once a rich family's residence, can't recall the name. We might visit again if we have time. We love nyonya food and would be grateful if you could recommend a good restaurant. Cheers!

Bluenose1

Aha, oood Malay food..... there you have me! I do not do spicy food!!!! However there are loads of restaurants in and around Melaka.... Birstro 1673 is very good for nyonya. That is on Jonker Walk - if you start at The Hard Rock Café and go down Jonker Walk, it's about 4/500 yards along on the right hand side. There is also a very good seafood restaurant that we're going to tomorrow night for my wife's birthday, but unfortunately she cannot remember the name of it!

No1MCf

No way, you can't live in Malaysia and not like spicy food! Thanks for the info, will certainly check Bistro 1673 out. Love Jonker Walk!

Please wish your wife a very happy birthday from us.

How fluent is your malay? I love the way they say things twice, like makan-makan and kawan-kawan.

Bluenose1

Thank you, I will pass on your birthday wishes.

Not forgetting boleh-boleh! My Bahasa isn't that great, but I am picking up the odd word, slowly! I actually managed to pick up a teach-yourself book & CD from Waterstones before we left, but even that is slow going! Actually, I'm more concentrating on finding my way around Melaka by car at the moment..... I've graduated to being able to get to my Mother-In-Law's house (is that a good thing, or not?! my S-I-L's restaurant and Tesco (again, is that a good thing or not?). I could also manage to pick up my nephews & nieces from school on my own and find my way to at least 2 Farmacis. Huge improvement, given that when I was here in August last year, I was on the same road 3 days running without realising it was the same road!!!