SHAH ALAM – Home Ministry, Higher Education Ministry and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) have been urged to take immediate action on the issue of its delayed visas for their international students.
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said most of the students’ passports had been withheld as the renewal process took a long time and had not been cleared, which involving the Visa and Immigration Department.
He added that the international students faced delays in receiving their respective visas for nearly half a year, although the application had been made earlier.
"Some are also forced to apply and pay for a special pass that functions as an extended pass that allows them to stay in Malaysia legally.
"The special passes are not cheap, especially for students,” he said in a Facebook post.
Syed Saddiq earlier attended a dialogue session with IIUM international students organised by the International Student Committee regarding the visa issue.
He, who is also IIUM law graduate, highlighted that some students were compounded for overstaying in the country even though it was not their fault.
"It is even more heartbreaking to know that some of them are forced to stay on campus and not come out at all due to fear of being arrested because they do not have the documents.
"They are also unable to return home to their countries and see their families.
"For a student, it really burdens them financially and mentally,” he said.
In that regard, he said, as a Malaysian and an alumnus of the university, he could not allow such things to happen.
"I urge the relevant ministries and the university to take immediate action and give an appropriate deadline to resolve this issue.
"IIUM is very famous as a centre of knowledge in the Islamic world.
"I am afraid that if this kind of issue persists, people will stay away from making IIUM a choice place to study and Malaysia’s name will eventually be tarnished.
"They should enjoy the best that Malaysia can offer them. We must do better,” he said.
Sinar Daily recently reported that the foreign students at the university said that they would hold a daily protest at the university compound until their visa issue was solved.
The students had initially started sharing their experiences through Twitter and Facebook using #IIUMINTSTUDENTVISA hashtags, which had gone viral on the platforms.
Over 300 students we believed to have faced delays in receiving visas for up to five months and were unable to travel back to their country.