'Malaysian's pregnant foreign wife now allowed to enter the country

 

The pregnant Chinese national married to a Malaysian living in Singapore that has been barred from entering Malaysia on Nov 30, will be allowed to cross the border to stay with her in-laws for the duration of her pregnancy.

The woman, identified as Mrs Yong and in her last trimester of pregnancy, was denied entry into Malaysia last week at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at Bukit Chagar.

Her sister-in-law, who asked to be known as Choo said an official from the Immigration Department called her to say that Mrs Yong would now be allowed in.

“The CIQ said there should not be a problem for her to enter Malaysia but my brother must be together (with her),” said Choo when contacted.

Bernama had reported how the entry refusal had put the woman and her husband in a quandary as she cannot stay for long in Singapore.

Mrs Yong no longer has residency in Singapore as her work permit had to be cancelled due to the pregnancy, and she would have had to leave the country by Dec 14 or faced deportation to China.

The husband, who wished to be only known as Yong, could not sponsor her as a dependent on his employment pass because, as a store manager, he did not meet the minimum fixed monthly salary requirement of S$6,000. Neither can he accompany her across the border, as he did not want to risk losing his job as he would have to be gone for a month due to quarantine requirements.

The letter refusing entry to the 27-year old woman stated the rejection was done under Section 8 (3) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963, which lists a variety of prohibited immigrants, including those who cannot support themselves.

Meanwhile, Yong was relieved when he heard the news, saying that his wife was previously not allowed in because she only had a 14-day visa, which was only long enough to cover the duration of mandatory quarantine in Malaysia.

“I prefer not to let her go back to China (to give birth) because it’s too far,” said the 31-year old store manager from Kluang, Johor.

He said they plan to travel to Malaysia on Dec 10 and his company had granted him leave under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) to travel to Malaysia and stay with his wife for over a month, and apply for a long-term pass for her.

Bernama reached out to the Immigration Department but has so far not received a response.

- Bernama