The NGO said the new PR application guidelines for foreign spouses married to Malaysians sideline Malaysian women with non-citizen husbands.

It said the gender-based discrepancy will create undue financial and emotional burden on them, and many will be “forced into the role of sole breadwinners”.

“Their husbands – often qualified professionals – face obstacles in securing employment until they obtain PR, which in recent years has become almost unattainable,” it said in a statement.

On March 3, deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the new guidelines for the application process for entry permits to obtain PR will be implemented from Sept 1.

He said foreign wives of Malaysian citizens must be married for a minimum of three years and hold a social visit pass for a year to become eligible.

Separately, a minimum marriage period of five years is required for foreign husbands of Malaysian citizens.

Family Frontiers said non-citizen spouses remain barred from certain professions, including medicine, pharmacy, finance, law, and other licensed fields, unless they obtain PR.

“This situation places immense strain on binational families, disproportionately affecting Malaysian wives who have the burden of single handedly supporting their families,” it said.

It also urged the government to introduce an appeal process for rejected PR applications and provide an alternative pathway for widowed, divorced and abused non-citizen spouses.

“This will prevent their forced separation from their Malaysian children and ensure they can remain in the country with dignity,” it said.