Gov’t urged to unite families, allow foreign spouses to return

CORONAVIRUS | The Immigration Department is urged to adopt short-term measures to help families separated as a result of the movement control order (MCO)

Foreign Spouses Support Group (FSSG) pointed out at present, only foreign spouses of Malaysians with long-term social visit pass (LTSVP) are permitted to enter the country during the order period.

“[...] This has led to family separation in cases where spouses hold a short-term pass, student pass or work permits instead.

“In view of a prolonged and unspecified period of the MCO, we urge the Immigration Department of Malaysia to adopt short-term measures in keeping the families of Malaysians together during these unprecedented times,” said FSSG co-founder and coordinator Bina Ramanand.

The Malaysian government has imposed the MCO beginning March 18 in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

During the order period, movement within the country and travel aboard are restricted. For non-citizens, entry into the country is also prohibited except for spouses possessing LTVSP and a valid marriage certificate.

However, the initial two-week period of the MCO has been extended three times to date and is currently only slated to end on May 12. However, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin cautioned that another extension was possible.

The FSSG, in a statement today, highlighted several such cases of families being separated in light of the current situation.

This included the case of a woman allegedly separated from her foreign husband and Malaysian child when the latter two were stuck in Taiwan after travelling there before the MCO.

This is despite the fact the husband, who holds a professional visa, had lived in Malaysia for the duration of their marriage.

According to Bina, this has also led several families opting to live in high-risk countries to remain together.

She also highlighted the case of another Malaysian woman abroad who could not return due to her husband not possessing an LTSVP but also due to lack of guarantee her newborn child would be granted Malaysian citizenship.

“Besides, having delivered her child overseas (due to the sudden clampdown of borders) her child may not be guaranteed Malaysian citizenship, given that Malaysian women have to undergo a long-drawn application process to obtain Malaysian citizenship for their children born overseas.

“FSSG requests the Immigration Department to consider allowing spouses and children or dependents of Malaysians and permanent residents, irrespective of the visas they hold, to unite with their families here in Malaysia while providing valid evidence of the relationship and fulfilling the requirement of 14-days mandatory quarantine.” - Mkini