It is heartening to note that the Malaysian government is making it easier for professionals to get permanent residence (PR) in Malaysia, I am even told that international students excelling in their studies will be able to get PR in Malaysia.

I would like to ask our leaders, what about spouses of Malaysian citizens?

We are in the country for decades on ‘Long Term Social Visit Pass’ and our visas state:

‘Any form of employment is strictly prohibited, spouse of a Malaysian Citizen’. We are not here for social purposes, but here in the capacity of ‘principal care givers and providers for our Malaysian families’

Spouses of Malaysian citizens face a whole range of challenges with regards to our application and renewals of the ‘social visit pass’ and application for permanent residency, leave alone citizenship.

Apart from the frequent renewal of visas for non-citizen spouses for decades, we need to have our Malaysian spouses physically present even for renewals. This puts pressure on our families, especially if the sponsoring Malaysian spouse is ill or is away on business.

Adding insult to injury, the women spouses are required to furnish the Immigration Department a letter from our spouses granting us permission to work. A spouse who is estranged from the Malaysian or whose spouse has passed on, cannot get an endorsement to work for want of this letter.

What then becomes of their Malaysian children who are dependent on them? Who will provide for them?

Currently, spouses like myself have to pay double charges for healthcare in government hospitals; unemployed spouses cannot open individual bank accounts; we pay tourist rates at tourist attractions, though we are residents in Malaysia. What more if we wish to study further, we pay international student rates. All this despite being a part of the Malaysian family.

Take for instance myself, a mother of two, living in Malaysia for 18 years, yet I am on a one year pass. Though I am told that my permanent resident status is approved, I’m given to understand that there is a long queue awaiting the processing of ‘the letter’.

Many foreign spouses were very excited when they read in the media that the Home Ministry had expedited the approvals. However upon checking with the Immigration Dept, we could not get a confirmation as to when the letter would be sent out to us. Alas, more than six months and our letter boxes remain empty.

The government should take into consideration that non-citizen spouses are the key care givers and providers to their Malaysian families and therefore expedite the permanent residency for spouses within reason. Many of us are given a runaround, even to secure a mere application form for application of PR.

There also seems to be a gender discrimination as non-citizen husbands are required to have only 10 years continued stay while in comparison, non-citizen women spouses are required to remain in the country for five years to be eligible to apply for PR.

There also seems to be a lack of clear guidelines and protocols for approvals for often we are at the mercy of the attending immigration officers and their interpretation of the law and policy, which differs from Putrajaya to Pusat Damansara.

Whilst on paper the requirement is 5/10 years stay, in practice the approval process seems to be taking decades - from the time of application to receiving the red I. The colossal documentation ranges from submitting copies of all passports (old and new) for the entire family, to wedding invitations, etc etc…

When applications are rejected it would augur well for the applicant to be given reasons for the rejection as this would enable a clear and transparent appeal towards the re-submission of the documents, where necessary. It would be a good practice to ensure that clear policies, time frames and protocols are not only set out but also implemented and delivered by respective departments.

It is also apparent that the processing for permanent residency ceases when the non-citizen spouses are estranged or widowed. What then becomes of their Malaysian children and other dependents? It really puts tremendous stress and pressure on the family unit.

In recent times, we have seen some positive steps being taken in certain areas, such as permitting Malaysian women overseas to register their children at the Malaysian high commissions. However, there is still scope for review in areas pertaining to policy at the immigration departments.

In the interest of many Malaysian families, it is expedient that not only procedures with regards to citizenship be reviewed but it is also incumbent that guidelines and policy are clearly elucidated and implemented for the permanent residency applications by spouses of Malaysian citizens.