KUALA LUMPUR – Although 75% of foreigners married to Malaysians have degrees, 49% of them are currently unemployed due to the country’s citizenship laws prohibiting them from seeking employment.
The Association of Family Support and Welfare Selangor and KL (Family Frontiers) said central to the topic on hand is the long-term spouse visit pass – a visa that enables foreign spouses to reside in Malaysia.
“The visit pass, however, carries a statement of prohibition to employment, which has grave impact on the financial stability of their families.
“Although employment is allowed with permission from the Immigration Department, a lack of awareness often means employers remain unwilling to hire foreign spouses,” Family Frontiers said in a statement here today.
Family Frontiers hosted a webinar on the economic marginalisation of foreign spouses married to Malaysians last night.
Klang MP Charles Santiago suggested that the unemployment affecting foreign spouses is an obstacle to the nation’s economic progress.
“The Malaysian government needs to understand that the discriminatory citizenship law is an obstacle to (economic) development.
“The government needs to move from a law-and-order perspective to a development one. We must push for an approach that considers the impact of foreign spouses in Malaysia, the value they bring to the economy and the people as a whole,” Charles said.
Further, Human Rights Commissioner Datuk Madeline Berma said visa restrictions would be detrimental to transnational families, especially in this pandemic-hit economy.
The webinar yesterday was moderated by Family Frontiers committee member Chee Yoke Ling and featured panellists Santiago and Berma. – The Vibes, January 30, 2021
