Be consistent, foreign spouses urge immigration officers

 

Foreign spouses reportedly have problems in dealing with different requirements of immigration officers using their discretion. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Several spouses of transnational families have spoken of their frustrations on the unfettered discretionary power of immigration officers in processing their visa applications.

At a webinar organised by Foreign Spouses Support Group this evening, a Malaysian named Peggy said her husband still suffered a hard time to obtain approval for his visa despite having lived in Malaysia for a long time.

“We have followed every requirement checklist in the application but they (immigration officers) still reject it,” she said, adding that different officers would state different requirements and conditions to them.

“Each officer wants us to provide different layers of support documents or follow certain conditions. However, these conditions are listed in the original application.”

Citing the example of the conditions, she said some officers refused to accept her husband’s application because he was working in the country during the application process.

“My husband was told to quit his job before reapplying for another visa but nowhere in the rules does it say that the applicant should not be working during the application process.” she added.

A foreign spouse who has been living in Malaysia for 14 years said she still could not get a job that suits her qualification.

The woman, Guljan, says she has a finance degree from a local university but her visa prohibits her from being employed, especially in professional sectors.

“The problem lies in my legal status. I had hoped that by becoming a permanent resident, it would solve the problem but unfortunately my application had been rejected as well.

“The immigration system keeps discouraging transnational families from obtaining economic liberty. Even after a decade of being married to a Malaysian, I still have to pay different rates for everything. My husband and I think that there are no prospects for us in this country,” she said.

Klang MP Charles Santiago claimed that the government did not perceive foreign spouses as an asset to the country but somehow viewed them as a security threat.

“Why are you treating them like they are the enemy of the state? They are not,” he said. “The government does not see them from the economic perspective but from the law and order perspective. There is a need to change that narrative.”

He believed transnational families could contribute to the economy, “they are well-trained and have skills, they should be an added value to the country.

“Why does the government keep asking Malaysians to upgrade their skills and waste money bringing in more experts? We have these people, utilise them instead,” he added. - FMT