KUALA LUMPUR: There is no significant disparity in the approval rates of permanent resident (PR) applications between foreign husbands and wives of Malaysian citizens, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said a task force under the ministry and the Immigration Department had resolved all 19,205 backlogged entry permit applications lodged between 2013 and 2023, comprising 14,918 applications from foreign wives and 4,287 from foreign husbands of Malaysian citizens.
“Of these, the approval rate for foreign wives stood at 22.3%, while that for foreign husbands was slightly higher at 22.7%.
“This indicates no significant difference in approval rates between the two categories,” Saifuddin said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (July 29).
He was responding to a question from Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid who questioned why foreign husbands face stricter PR requirements, calling for gender-equal and family-friendly policies.
Saifuddin stressed that all applications are assessed fairly and equitably, though different considerations apply depending on the applicant’s gender.
“For instance, applications from foreign wives take into account welfare concerns and issues of neglect, while those from foreign husbands are assessed with regard to potential misuse of marriage as a means to obtain residency,” he said.
Saifuddin explained that PR applications must first go through the Entry Permit process governed by Section 10(1)(2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which empowers the director-general of Immigration to issue permits under specific terms and procedures.
The issuance of the MyPR identification card is carried out in accordance with the National Registration Act 1959 [Act 78] and Regulation 5(3)(b) of the National Registration Regulations 1990, he added.
