Malaysia Emigration and Immigration

Online Records

 * 1878-1960 UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at Findmypast - index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Malaysia
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Malaysia, index & images ($)
 * British India Office Births & Baptisms Malacca, index
 * British India Office Marriages Penang, index ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Malaysia, index & images ($)
 * British India Office Deaths & Burials, index ($)

Finding the Town of Origin in Malaysia
If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Malaysia, see Malaysia Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Malaysia Emigration and Immigration
"Emigration" means moving out of a country. "Immigration" means moving into a country. Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in the country. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birthplaces. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Immigration to Malaysia

 * In 1511, Malacca was conquered by Portugal, after which it was taken by the Dutch in 1641. In 1786, the British Empire established a presence in Malaya.
 * The British obtained the town of Singapore in 1819, and in 1824 took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty. By 1826, the British directly controlled Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and the island of Labuan.
 * By the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States, had British residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers.
 * The remaining five states in the peninsula, known as the Unfederated Malay States, while not directly under British rule, also accepted British advisers around the turn of the 20th century.
 * Under British rule the immigration of Chinese and Indians to serve as laborers was encouraged.
 * The Malaysian Chinese people are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese ethnicity. They form the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority constituting 23% of the Malaysian population. Most of them are descendants of Southern Chinese immigrants who arrived in Malaysia between the early 19th century and the mid-20th century.
 * Malaysian Indians form the third largest group in Malaysia after the Malays and the Chinese. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India to Malaysia during the British colonization of Malaya. The majority of Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamil people, with other smaller groups such as the Malayalees, Telugus, Sikhs and others.

Emigration From Malaysia
Population of the Malaysia diaspora in 2019: Major Populations For countries with smaller Malaysian populations, see Malaysian diaspora.
 * Malaysians in Brunei are mostly expatriates working in the petroleum industry (Brunei Shell Petroleum oil company).
 * Malaysians in India consist of expatriates and international students from Malaysia as well as Indian people of Malaysian descent and most of them are ethnic Malaysians of Indian origin, working as well as studying in the home country of their ancestors. In 2011, an estimated 2,500 Malaysians, mostly working for Malaysian-based companies as well as 2,000 students, reside in India, mainly in South India.
 * The overseas Malaysian diaspora in Singapore is one of the largest with the number standing at 952,261 in 2019, making them the world's largest Malaysian diaspora community. Many Malaysians in Singapore are usually expatriates, working in various industries of the Singapore economy since its rapid industrialization in the 1970s.
 * At the 2016 Census 138,364 Australian residents stated that they were born in Malaysia.
 * As of 2006 census, there is around 14,547 Malaysian-born people lived in New Zealand.
 * The Malaysian community in the United Kingdom is one of the west's largest, this is mainly due to the influence of the British Empire on Malaysia.
 * Singapore: 952,261
 * Bangladesh: 206,244
 * Australia: 174,136
 * United Kingdom: 84,638
 * United States: 77,647
 * Brunei: 52,001
 * Canada: 25,337
 * Hong Kong: 19,787
 * India: 12,228

Records of Malaysia Emigrants in Their Destination Nations

 * United States Emigration and Immigration
 * Canada Emigration and Immigration
 * Singapore Emigration and Immigration
 * Australia Emigration and Immigration
 * England Emigration and Immigration
 * Brunei Emigration and Immigration
 * Canada Emigration and Immigration
 * China Emigration and Immigration
 * India Emigration and Immigration

For Further Reading

 * Immigration to Malaysia
 * Malaysian Chinese
 * Arrival of the Chinese in the Malay Peninsula
 * The origins of the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Other Chinese Dialect Groups in Malaysia
 * Tamil Malaysians
 * From Ancient Times to Modern Days: A Brief History of Indian Migration to Malaysia
 * India's Diaspora Policy: A Case Study of Indians in Malaysia
 * Indians in Malaysia
 * Malaysian Diaspora