Plight of Malaysians in US raised at meeting with Home Minister, says Dr Wee

PETALING JAYA: Several issues concerning Malaysians in the United States were raised at a meeting between Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and the Malaysia Association of America (MAA).

Dr Wee said the MAA representatives shared many stories of Malaysians living in the US, especially the difficulties faced in applying for Malaysian citizenship and passports.

He said this mainly affects those who migrated before they turned 12.

“Even though these children were born in Malaysia, they could not obtain a MyKad as they had yet to reach 12 years old.

“This has led to them facing difficulties in applying for Malaysian passports and being stranded in the United States without any green card (citizenship). Some of them are also facing problems getting jobs due to the lack of identification,” he said in a Facebook post.

Dr Wee said the 30-minute discussion also touched on the issue of citizenship for children who were born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.

“The representatives of MAA also shared the real-life issues that they face, with the hope that the government will amend the law to solve these problems once and for all,” he added.

Also in attendance was MAA founder Kim Bong.