PUTRAJAYA must immediately conduct a thorough review of the permanent residence (PR) approval process for eligible spouses of Malaysians, a civil society group said.

Family Frontiers lead coordinator Bina Ramanand said Malaysia was home to approximately 164,000 binational couples (marriages between Malaysians and non-citizens).

She said non-citizen spouses face obstacles with regard to employment, opening bank accounts and owning affordable property despite living in the country for years.

“These spouses remain fully dependent on their Malaysian spouses for their visas and their right to work, which makes foreign women vulnerable to gender-based violence.

“Very few spouses are able to obtain PR, a process mired in unreasonably long delays, with no guarantee of approval and no clear reasons for rejections,” she said in a statement.

Bina said since 2018, only four approvals have been reported to Family Frontiers – two for spouses and the other two for children below six years old.

“This leaves many non-citizen spouses in situations of instability, making it difficult for them to plan and secure their future and that of their families, which has resulted in many professional binational families leaving the country.”

She said a 2022 survey by Family Frontiers among 65 respondents who applied for PR, revealed none of the participants had their PR applications approved.

“All applications were still pending, with 28% waiting for more than two years and 30.2% of the respondents kept waiting for PR approval for over four years.”

Bina asked if foreigners under the Malaysian My Second Home (MM2H) Programme would be fast-tracked for PR status after just staying in the country for 90 days.

“On December 15, new changes under the MM2H Programme were announced, which enabled the wealthy to access PR in the country as long as they can have fixed deposits starting from RM500,000 in local banks.

“It is disappointing how the government is willing to provide PR to individuals who have not stayed in the country for long, but is reluctant to provide PR to spouses who have lived here for decades, have families here and contribute to the country’s economy.”

Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Tiong King Sing said three tiers were introduced for the MM2H programme, where wealthy foreigners would be allowed long-term residence in Malaysia.

“The new silver, gold and platinum tiers provide varying entry visas based on tier, and require applicants to have fixed deposits in local banks amounting to RM500,000 for the silver tier, RM2.5 million (gold) and RM5 million (platinum),” he said.

Bina said for non-citizen spouses, their PR application process was ambiguous, with extensive waiting times and a low approval rate.

“Document requirements and guidelines lack transparency with unreasonable timelines of two to five years without guarantee of an approval.

“Many foreign spouses have reported experiencing heightened uncertainty and stress due to this.

“It is vital for those who are widowed to remain in the country on a more certain basis when their Malaysian children are solely dependent on them.” – December 19, 2023.