SANDAKAN: Many children in Sabah end up undocumented when their parents — one a local, the other a foreigner - married without registering their union, says Sabah Immigration Department director Datuk Sh. Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof.
She said this has become a common issue in the state, as these couples often undergo informal “kahwin kampung” (village marriage) ceremonies, without obtaining legal marriage certificates.
“When their children are born, there is no way to properly register the birth, because the marriage itself is not legally recognised,” she said in a press conference here on Friday (July 25).
Sitti Saleha advised parents in this situation to come forward to the Immigration Department for guidance, especially on how to help the foreign spouse apply for valid documentation.
“This process usually requires the local Malaysian spouse to act as a sponsor or guarantor to support the foreign spouse’s passport application through their embassy,” she added.
Meanwhile, Sitti Saleha said the number of Pakistani detainees in Sabah’s immigration depots has been increasing, with 14 currently held at the Sandakan depot.
Across all four depots in the state, there has been a noticeable upward trend of arrests involving Pakistan nationals.
“We’re concerned because this is a new trend, and it’s something we’re closely monitoring,” she said.
