How this route differs from a transfer
The stage-by-stage breakdown of how a maid application works walks through the full sequence: approval, the source-country process, FOMEMA, the visa and work pass, and the permit. Recruiting someone who isn't currently in Malaysia means all of those stages apply in order, because there's no existing permit or employer relationship to carry over.
A transfer starts from a different position: the worker already holds a permit and is already in the country, moving between employers instead of entering fresh. That shorter structural path is covered separately, and the two shouldn't be confused when you're comparing what each route actually involves.
- Approval to hire comes first, same as any route.
- Source-country processing and FOMEMA only apply when the worker starts outside Malaysia.
- A transfer skips most of that because the worker is already here.
Who's eligible to hire this way
Malaysian citizens are the standard route for this kind of hire. Permanent residents and expatriates on long-term passes can generally apply as well, but the specific income, marital status and age criteria attached to eligibility aren't published in one uniform place, and they can change.
Rather than working from a number you've seen quoted somewhere, confirm current criteria directly with the Immigration Department or a licensed agency before you commit time to the paperwork. A figure that was accurate last year may not hold now, and the department sets what's required today.
Sabah and Sarawak run their own systems
Everything above describes the Peninsular route. Sabah licenses this differently under its own Section 118 framework, and Sarawak runs GENESIS/HAVEN with a separately published employer-eligibility page, so neither state simply inherits the Peninsular process.
If your household is in either state, treat the Peninsular sequence as background only and check the dedicated state guide for what applies to you, since the stages, documents and eligibility rules aren't identical across all three systems.