Why the answer isn't a flat yes or no
The broad shape of the process is the same one described in how a maid application works in Malaysia: an approval stage, the source-country process, FOMEMA screening, a visa or pass, and an ongoing permit. An expatriate applicant moves through that same sequence. What changes for an expatriate household is the starting checkpoint: Immigration assesses eligibility partly against the applicant's own visa or pass category, so an Employment Pass holder, a Dependant Pass holder, and an MM2H participant can face different documentation asks even though all three sit under the umbrella of "expatriate."
This is also where invented figures do the most damage. Any income threshold, age cutoff, or processing-day estimate you see quoted online should be treated as unverified until Immigration or a licensed agency confirms it against your specific pass, because these criteria aren't published in one uniform table and they can change without much notice.
What to confirm, and with whom
Before assuming eligibility, get your exact pass type and current status in front of Immigration or a licensed agency and ask what applies to that category specifically, not to expatriates in general. A licensed agency handling foreign-worker placements deals with this variation daily and can tell you quickly whether your pass typically clears without issue or needs a closer look.
Keep a record of what you're told and by whom, the same discipline that matters for any stage of the wider application. A verbal answer from one counter visit is easy to misremember months later, when you actually need it for the file.
- Have your current pass type and validity dates ready before asking.
- Ask Immigration or a licensed agency specifically, not a general enquiry line.
- Write down what's confirmed, and treat anything unconfirmed as still open.
If you're in Sabah or Sarawak
None of the above assumes Sabah or Sarawak. Sabah issues its own licensing under a separate Section 118 framework, and Sarawak runs its own GENESIS/HAVEN system with its own published employer-eligibility page. Both differ from how Peninsular Malaysia's process works, sometimes in ways that affect an expatriate applicant specifically.
If your household is based in either state, don't extend a Peninsular answer to your situation. Check the dedicated state guides and confirm eligibility with the relevant state department rather than assuming the Peninsular criteria carry over.