MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the wide discretion given to the immigration department in the issuance and renewal of long-term social visit passes (LTSVPs) hampers the ability of foreign spouses to find employment.
He said LTSVPs are normally issued for between one and three years, while their renewal is entirely at the discretion of the authorities, creating uncertainty for potential employers.
Syed Hussain welcomed home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s recent acknowledgement of the need to revisit policies governing the right of foreign spouses to be gainfully employed, and called for a loosening up of existing conditions.
In Malaysia, foreign spouses of Malaysian citizens are allowed to work without converting their spouse visas into employment or professional visit passes, but must obtain work permit endorsements from the immigration department.
Foreign spouses must provide evidence of a job offer or a business registration to apply for an endorsement to work, and must submit their applications in the presence of their Malaysian spouse.
Syed Hussain suggested that the home minister simplify the LTSVP procedure for foreigners legally married to Malaysian citizens.
“Divorced or widowed non-citizen spouses should also be allowed to continue to reside and be legally employed in Malaysia,” he said.
However, Syed Hussain cautioned against granting foreign spouses an “automatic” right to work as suggested by NGO Family Frontiers, saying it may give rise to misuse and exploitation by certain quarters.
However, William Ng, chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association, disagreed, saying the risk of abuse was minimal when compared to the benefits such a move could bring.
“Malaysia’s economic development benefits from an inclusive, all-hands-on-deck approach that should naturally involve foreign spouses already residing in the country.
“The ministry can consider issuing automatic passes which can be revoked in cases of abuse,” said Ng.
On Nov 14, Saifuddin said the government may revisit its policies to allow foreign spouses to seek employment in the country, citing economic demands and a need to reduce the nation’s reliance on migrant workers.
Family Frontiers then urged the home ministry to eliminate a clause in the LTSVP which prohibits a foreign spouse from seeking employment, saying they ought to be entitled to work immediately upon the registration of their marriage to a Malaysian citizen.
The NGO explained that the right to work was a basic human right, and the move to allow foreign workers to work here would allow the nation to “tap into an underused pool of skilled labour”.