Five months ago, I stepped out of the aeroplane and landed back home. I was full of hopes and dreams but I didn't know what to expect. I went through various emotional turmoils and various obstacles. There was endless bureaucracy, form-filings, documents and government officials. There were interviews and waiting...
Now, five months on...the picture is almost complete. Things have fallen into place. This morning I started remembering my early days here, getting flashes of visual images of me having lunch with my sister, still unsure of the future. I was constantly worried, slight fearful but building a complete Trust in Allah that He will sort it out. Everyday I pray to Him to look after me, to protect me and my children and never to leave me to my own device for even one second. Who are we without Him?
Life is ever changing and nothing remains the same. We should constantly strive to become better everyday and to know that hardship will come to pass. All we need is Tawakkal and Sabr. If our life becomes hard, then whatever is in our control and we can change it, we need to strive to make that change but leave the rest to God.
It is mind-boggling thinking about the last 5 months and all the things that we as a family went through. It has been difficult, testing but it has been worth-it Alhamdulillah. There is still so much I want to do, in my life, for my children, in my work but Patience, perseverence and planning is the key. I'm taking a bit of time reflecting on things, on life itself, in Islam, in duties and responsibilities, in what I want to achieve for this year...
I am just so grateful to Allah for every second, everyday and every minute I am alive in this world; to be able to spend time with my family, my parents, my siblings is like a dream come true. To be able to convey whatever little knowledge I have to others.
To all my friends or anyone out there who has plans to relocate. If you have prayed Istiharah and Allah has guided you to the right way; then just put your Trust in Allah and do what you have to do. Whatever hardship and difficulties placed in your path, never lose your Trust in Him, have patience and your Tawakkal will only get stronger. Ameen
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Monday 26 April 2010
Dreams and ambitions
27th April 2010
This morning I was listening to 'Motivasi pagi' again by Uztaz from IKIM FM and he was talking about having a vision or a dream. He talked about an experience when he was young and there was a day at school when every child had to wear a special costume of what they dreamt of becoming when they grew up. Some came as police officers, others as soldiers, maybe some as teachers or err...cowboys but he came as an Ustaz. To have a dream or a vision for a future is important for human beings. We all need to aspire to become something, to have hopes and dreams. Truth is human beings can achieve anything and can become anything as long as we have a vision; all we need after that is hard-work and effort.
Without vision, we will lose hope, be non-productive, lose our confidence and lose ourselves in the process. When life becomes a daily routine and days filled with chores...but we could do the same actions but with a vision, we will feel inspired.
The Uztaz gave an example of an elephant in a zoo. This large strong elephant had its feet chained and it stands there, not struggling, not fighting, not attempting to break free. The story of the elephant goes...that from a very young age, the elephant was chained by its master. Initially it struggled but this young elephant was small, the chain was stronger and it failed to break lose. As this elephant got older, it became stronger and potentially one little effort would break the chain to pieces, but the elephant never tried. It was no longer the chain that became a shackle for the elephant but its own mind. This is what happens when a person loses hope Even when the opportunity arises to stand up and fight, or to do something for himself, to get himself out of a situation; he will think that it is too late or he won't succeed.
It is so important to have dreams, to have a vision of what we want to be and what we want to achieve. The uztaz gave a clear example of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the battle of Ahzab; the Muslims were outnumbered, they were surrounded by the confederates, a large army comprising the Quraysh, various other Arab tribes and the Jews. There was a threat of betrayal from the Jews within Madinah and yet, when he was with his army digging the trench to protect the Islamic state and he struck a large stone and sparks flew and he was given a vision that the Muslims would conquer Rome (Byzantine) and that the Muslims would conquer Persia. The TWO largest strongest super power of that time. The sahabah heard these visions and they never for one second thought 'That is too far-fetched' or 'How can that ever become a reality when we are currently being surrounded by enemy forces'. They saw that vision and they worked harder than ever.
With a vision and with the help of Allah we can achieve anything, even if it takes 10 years or a 100 years, it doesn't matter...The only thing that can stop us from achieving our dreams is our own mentality. The BEST vision is the Islamic vision, to see Islam rise again as the Khilafah on the method of the Prophet (saw).
This morning I was listening to 'Motivasi pagi' again by Uztaz from IKIM FM and he was talking about having a vision or a dream. He talked about an experience when he was young and there was a day at school when every child had to wear a special costume of what they dreamt of becoming when they grew up. Some came as police officers, others as soldiers, maybe some as teachers or err...cowboys but he came as an Ustaz. To have a dream or a vision for a future is important for human beings. We all need to aspire to become something, to have hopes and dreams. Truth is human beings can achieve anything and can become anything as long as we have a vision; all we need after that is hard-work and effort.
Without vision, we will lose hope, be non-productive, lose our confidence and lose ourselves in the process. When life becomes a daily routine and days filled with chores...but we could do the same actions but with a vision, we will feel inspired.
The Uztaz gave an example of an elephant in a zoo. This large strong elephant had its feet chained and it stands there, not struggling, not fighting, not attempting to break free. The story of the elephant goes...that from a very young age, the elephant was chained by its master. Initially it struggled but this young elephant was small, the chain was stronger and it failed to break lose. As this elephant got older, it became stronger and potentially one little effort would break the chain to pieces, but the elephant never tried. It was no longer the chain that became a shackle for the elephant but its own mind. This is what happens when a person loses hope Even when the opportunity arises to stand up and fight, or to do something for himself, to get himself out of a situation; he will think that it is too late or he won't succeed.
It is so important to have dreams, to have a vision of what we want to be and what we want to achieve. The uztaz gave a clear example of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the battle of Ahzab; the Muslims were outnumbered, they were surrounded by the confederates, a large army comprising the Quraysh, various other Arab tribes and the Jews. There was a threat of betrayal from the Jews within Madinah and yet, when he was with his army digging the trench to protect the Islamic state and he struck a large stone and sparks flew and he was given a vision that the Muslims would conquer Rome (Byzantine) and that the Muslims would conquer Persia. The TWO largest strongest super power of that time. The sahabah heard these visions and they never for one second thought 'That is too far-fetched' or 'How can that ever become a reality when we are currently being surrounded by enemy forces'. They saw that vision and they worked harder than ever.
With a vision and with the help of Allah we can achieve anything, even if it takes 10 years or a 100 years, it doesn't matter...The only thing that can stop us from achieving our dreams is our own mentality. The BEST vision is the Islamic vision, to see Islam rise again as the Khilafah on the method of the Prophet (saw).
Sunday 18 April 2010
IKIM FM 91.5 at 7.30am Motivasi Ustaz
On my way to work everyday, I listen to IKIM FM. It is a local radio show and I love it because it talks about Islam. I listen to traffic news, local and international news and my favourite show is 'Motivasi pagi' (morning motivation) by an Ustaz. The Uztaz talks about different topics everyday and it is a short clip of around 15 mins.
This morning Uztaz was talking about 'comfort zone'. It made so much sense to me that I thought I'd share it with everyone. He talks about how human beings today like to live in their comfort zone or in Malay, he puts it as 'zone selesa'. And yet, this kind of behaviour is actually not islamic and not the kind of behaviour shown by our Prophet (saw).
In Islam, there is no such thing as comfort zone but rather we should constantly strive to become better in everything that we do. In our Ibaadah (Of course), in our personality, in our work, in our da'wah. The Uztaz talked about the example of our Prophet Muhammad (saw) and how he was constantly changing and taking on different roles and responsibility, when he was young he was a sheppard, he then became a business man, he was then given the responsibility of Prophethood, he was a father, a husband, a leader, he led the army of jihad and he continuously strived to make things better. After the treaty of Hudaibiyah, he was not happy living in a 'comfort zone', he moved on to send letters to different super powers at the time, Rome, Persia, Egypt, Yemen and other places. He continued progressing until the moment he passed away.
The idea of comfort zone is a Western concept indoctrinated within us to make us procrastinate and comfortable in the life that we are in. We are often afraid to try new things or to move forward...we want our lives to remain constant and unchanged, afraid even to speak the Truth at times in case we might change the status-quo or 'rock the boat'. Also, since the introduction of specialisations and allocation of work - people have developed the psychological mentality that we need to only focus on our area of expertise, just focus on what we know. Yet, if we look at the Islamic scholars in the past like Imam Syafie, Ibnu sina, Al-Biruni; they excel in all areas and fields of study, in Qur'an, in Hadith, in History, in medicine, in Astronomy and anything that they put their mind into.
One thing I've truly learned and understood since moving to Malaysia is that life is not constant, it is fluid...things change and life changes and everything that happens good or bad is part of this worldly life, like passing exams, failing exams, getting a job, losing a job, birth of child or death of loved ones. If we expect things to remain the same forever then, we will suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, excessive worry...all the things that is unislamic. Allah asked us to have sabr, to have tawakkal (trust) in Him, These are the measurements of our faith in Him. There is no comfort zone in this life, there is only striving to become better.
The Uztaz was talking about our final destination; either Jannah or Jahannam and he talked about what level of Jannah we are aiming for. Of course we know that there are different levels of Jannah, the highest Jannah is like '5-star hotel' (just as an example). Anyway, he said something that really made me think, he said even if we manage to get to Jannah (which is of course Alhamdulillah) and we're sitting there in maybe a lower Jannah sipping our lovely pure water in a crystal glass, sitting on a throne...we will still feel a tinge of regret that we didn't work harder when we see our friends or family in a higher Jannah drinking from a cup of Gold and silver with emeralds and pearls. This is just an example, to give us a visual perception. How Jannah would be and the differences in its pleasures at different levels, only Allah knows...Still, it is important to realise that we won't get anywhere living in our comfort zones...it is the nature of a Muslim/ or human in general to strive to change and become better, to achieve the best in everything we do especially in trying to attain Jannah.
This morning Uztaz was talking about 'comfort zone'. It made so much sense to me that I thought I'd share it with everyone. He talks about how human beings today like to live in their comfort zone or in Malay, he puts it as 'zone selesa'. And yet, this kind of behaviour is actually not islamic and not the kind of behaviour shown by our Prophet (saw).
In Islam, there is no such thing as comfort zone but rather we should constantly strive to become better in everything that we do. In our Ibaadah (Of course), in our personality, in our work, in our da'wah. The Uztaz talked about the example of our Prophet Muhammad (saw) and how he was constantly changing and taking on different roles and responsibility, when he was young he was a sheppard, he then became a business man, he was then given the responsibility of Prophethood, he was a father, a husband, a leader, he led the army of jihad and he continuously strived to make things better. After the treaty of Hudaibiyah, he was not happy living in a 'comfort zone', he moved on to send letters to different super powers at the time, Rome, Persia, Egypt, Yemen and other places. He continued progressing until the moment he passed away.
The idea of comfort zone is a Western concept indoctrinated within us to make us procrastinate and comfortable in the life that we are in. We are often afraid to try new things or to move forward...we want our lives to remain constant and unchanged, afraid even to speak the Truth at times in case we might change the status-quo or 'rock the boat'. Also, since the introduction of specialisations and allocation of work - people have developed the psychological mentality that we need to only focus on our area of expertise, just focus on what we know. Yet, if we look at the Islamic scholars in the past like Imam Syafie, Ibnu sina, Al-Biruni; they excel in all areas and fields of study, in Qur'an, in Hadith, in History, in medicine, in Astronomy and anything that they put their mind into.
One thing I've truly learned and understood since moving to Malaysia is that life is not constant, it is fluid...things change and life changes and everything that happens good or bad is part of this worldly life, like passing exams, failing exams, getting a job, losing a job, birth of child or death of loved ones. If we expect things to remain the same forever then, we will suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, excessive worry...all the things that is unislamic. Allah asked us to have sabr, to have tawakkal (trust) in Him, These are the measurements of our faith in Him. There is no comfort zone in this life, there is only striving to become better.
The Uztaz was talking about our final destination; either Jannah or Jahannam and he talked about what level of Jannah we are aiming for. Of course we know that there are different levels of Jannah, the highest Jannah is like '5-star hotel' (just as an example). Anyway, he said something that really made me think, he said even if we manage to get to Jannah (which is of course Alhamdulillah) and we're sitting there in maybe a lower Jannah sipping our lovely pure water in a crystal glass, sitting on a throne...we will still feel a tinge of regret that we didn't work harder when we see our friends or family in a higher Jannah drinking from a cup of Gold and silver with emeralds and pearls. This is just an example, to give us a visual perception. How Jannah would be and the differences in its pleasures at different levels, only Allah knows...Still, it is important to realise that we won't get anywhere living in our comfort zones...it is the nature of a Muslim/ or human in general to strive to change and become better, to achieve the best in everything we do especially in trying to attain Jannah.
Thursday 15 April 2010
My experiences in Malaysia and remembering Allah
I'm still feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the different experiences that I've gone through since my move to Malaysia. I've had many good experiences and some bad or weird experiences and also some 'wow!' experiences.
I still can't believe for e.g. my journey to work everyday. If I go to work towards Jalan Kuching then, I experience a beautiful journey of staring at the Petronas Twin Towers with the background of the sun-rise. If I go via MRR2 route then, I pass zoo Negara and Batu Caves everyday. It is a beautiful scenery with lots of hills and greenery. When I was little Batu Caves just seemed like another country and we only ever used to pass it on our way to Mimaland Water Park. It is just amazing and it brings back a lot of happy memories for me.
One thing I've learned since returning to Malaysia is that life is fluid and not constant; anything can happy at anytime, any day; some good some bad and you need to constantly remember Allah and be grateful for everything, big and small. For e.g. you could be going to work happily and the next thing you know when you come out of your clinic is that your car has been towed because the owner of the car whom you borrowed from has not paid his loan for this month. As you can imagine, I was panicking. Well, actually I wasn't panicking...I was just staring at the spot where I was sure I parked the car and just making dua that the car will suddenly reappear. But Alhamdulillah I was calm and after everything else that has happened to me...nothing surprises me anymore and nothing truly affects me anymore. All I could do was just pray to God that the car was not stolen because it wasn't my car. So, Alhamdulillah it wasn't stolen but it was the owner's own fault so, I was fine.
Then, my colleagues were simply amazing and so nice. They made calls for me, took me to the train station so, I could get home. They did it as if it was second nature to them. There was no hesitation at all. You can say what you like about Malaysia but you cannot deny the friendliness and generosity of the people. For example, when my hubby went to a course and he took public transport; on the way home he stopped by the mosque and one of the Pak Cik (uncle) there gave him a lift to the train station. SubhanAllah! may Allah reward those who do good. Amin.
The main lesson for me is...you know we always say to ourselves 'inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi Rajiun' and it's not that we don't believe in it but when you live somewhere and when you experience it everyday; that Allah gives you something and then, it is taken away and then He gives you something else and takes it away again and the cycle goes on and on...you start to understand that there is nothing constant or permanent in this life; nothing except Allah. Everything is temporary, wealth, car, house and of course the saddest thing of all, losing family members or people you love...still, God gives and God takes away and that is life.
When I was living in UK, you get this false sense of security or idea that everything is constant and routine. You wake up in the morning and the sun will shine, it will be day time and the day will be followed by the night. You expect your loved ones to be there, your wealth, your house, your car, your work, your life will be the same everyday and as soon as things don't happen the way you expect it to happen, people get stressed, agitated, worried, ungrateful...as if God or the world owes them something. As if they deserve everything to be right in their lives but listen to this, Allah swt says in the Qur'an "Say, 'Tell me! if Allah made night continuous for you till the day of Resurrection, who is the god besides Allah who could bring you light? Will you not then hear?.' Say 'tell me! If Allah made day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, who is the God besides Allah who could bring you night for you to rest? Will you not then see? " Al Qasas: 71-72
It means that the consistency of day and night is because Allah made it so and He wills it to be so. The reason why we wake up and we still have our loved ones, our house, our car, our wealth, our life is because Allah has made it so. Now that I'm out of that 'bubble' of The Western way of viewing things... I understand that life is not constant, it is like water in the ocean...sometimes things are calm and you can see where you're going but sometimes you're caught in a storm but whatever the situation is, you know that Allah is always there and He is the One who gives and He is the One who takes away.
Despite all the hardships and troubles that I've gone through since my move here in Malaysia. I definitely feel calmer and happier because I finally understand that I have little control of my life. The only control I have is on my decisions and actions - i.e. the bit that I'm accountable for. I've let go off many things and worry less about things. Of course I still worry about stuff like my kids and what will happen to them, their Iman (faith and Islam), I worry about the situation of the Ummah but I do what I have to do, I say what I have to say, I advice to whom I need to give advice, I talk to my children and I make lots of dua.
I still can't believe for e.g. my journey to work everyday. If I go to work towards Jalan Kuching then, I experience a beautiful journey of staring at the Petronas Twin Towers with the background of the sun-rise. If I go via MRR2 route then, I pass zoo Negara and Batu Caves everyday. It is a beautiful scenery with lots of hills and greenery. When I was little Batu Caves just seemed like another country and we only ever used to pass it on our way to Mimaland Water Park. It is just amazing and it brings back a lot of happy memories for me.
One thing I've learned since returning to Malaysia is that life is fluid and not constant; anything can happy at anytime, any day; some good some bad and you need to constantly remember Allah and be grateful for everything, big and small. For e.g. you could be going to work happily and the next thing you know when you come out of your clinic is that your car has been towed because the owner of the car whom you borrowed from has not paid his loan for this month. As you can imagine, I was panicking. Well, actually I wasn't panicking...I was just staring at the spot where I was sure I parked the car and just making dua that the car will suddenly reappear. But Alhamdulillah I was calm and after everything else that has happened to me...nothing surprises me anymore and nothing truly affects me anymore. All I could do was just pray to God that the car was not stolen because it wasn't my car. So, Alhamdulillah it wasn't stolen but it was the owner's own fault so, I was fine.
Then, my colleagues were simply amazing and so nice. They made calls for me, took me to the train station so, I could get home. They did it as if it was second nature to them. There was no hesitation at all. You can say what you like about Malaysia but you cannot deny the friendliness and generosity of the people. For example, when my hubby went to a course and he took public transport; on the way home he stopped by the mosque and one of the Pak Cik (uncle) there gave him a lift to the train station. SubhanAllah! may Allah reward those who do good. Amin.
The main lesson for me is...you know we always say to ourselves 'inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi Rajiun' and it's not that we don't believe in it but when you live somewhere and when you experience it everyday; that Allah gives you something and then, it is taken away and then He gives you something else and takes it away again and the cycle goes on and on...you start to understand that there is nothing constant or permanent in this life; nothing except Allah. Everything is temporary, wealth, car, house and of course the saddest thing of all, losing family members or people you love...still, God gives and God takes away and that is life.
When I was living in UK, you get this false sense of security or idea that everything is constant and routine. You wake up in the morning and the sun will shine, it will be day time and the day will be followed by the night. You expect your loved ones to be there, your wealth, your house, your car, your work, your life will be the same everyday and as soon as things don't happen the way you expect it to happen, people get stressed, agitated, worried, ungrateful...as if God or the world owes them something. As if they deserve everything to be right in their lives but listen to this, Allah swt says in the Qur'an "Say, 'Tell me! if Allah made night continuous for you till the day of Resurrection, who is the god besides Allah who could bring you light? Will you not then hear?.' Say 'tell me! If Allah made day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, who is the God besides Allah who could bring you night for you to rest? Will you not then see? " Al Qasas: 71-72
It means that the consistency of day and night is because Allah made it so and He wills it to be so. The reason why we wake up and we still have our loved ones, our house, our car, our wealth, our life is because Allah has made it so. Now that I'm out of that 'bubble' of The Western way of viewing things... I understand that life is not constant, it is like water in the ocean...sometimes things are calm and you can see where you're going but sometimes you're caught in a storm but whatever the situation is, you know that Allah is always there and He is the One who gives and He is the One who takes away.
Despite all the hardships and troubles that I've gone through since my move here in Malaysia. I definitely feel calmer and happier because I finally understand that I have little control of my life. The only control I have is on my decisions and actions - i.e. the bit that I'm accountable for. I've let go off many things and worry less about things. Of course I still worry about stuff like my kids and what will happen to them, their Iman (faith and Islam), I worry about the situation of the Ummah but I do what I have to do, I say what I have to say, I advice to whom I need to give advice, I talk to my children and I make lots of dua.
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Applying for a visa for your spouse
This is a straight forward process provided you know what you're doing and you have all of the relevant documents.
1. Get the forms from your local imigration department. You do not need to go to PutraJaya. If you live in Selangor, you can go to Shah Alam or Damansara if you live in KL. There maybe other places but you need to find out.
2. Fill in the forms which is quite A LOT!!! You need to get Signature from PesuruhJaya Tinggi for 2 Surat Akuan (usually will be within same building as the imigration department) and Stamp Duty Chop from Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri for your security bond (LHDN is usually in another building but close by)
3. Hand in all the stuff including all required photocopy of documents.
4. For those who get married overseas please make sure you get a marriage certificate from the mosque or equivalent with the marriage date.
5. You MUST register your marriage at Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri when you return to Malaysia preferably within the first year of your marriage. They will keep your overseas marriage certificate, so make sure you get a few certified copies because Imigration wants to see your overseas certificate as well.
6. If your husband is a convert, make sure he gets a conversion certificate from your local mosque or relevant mosque (in UK it would be Regent's Park Mosque). Of course you DON'T NEED a piece of paper to become a Muslim rather, all you need is to affirm that There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of God; (Shahadah) but for the purpose of imigration, just get a certificate. We are after all dealing with a non-Khilafah country.
7 After handing in all of the forms and documents, they will give you a reference number inside your passport, you ring them in one weeks time and if your application is successful, you bring your passport and get the visa (and of course pay your fees and BOND - I won't tell you how much cause it may change with time but safe to say keep a couple of thousands in your bank)
8. Relevant documents includes husband birth certificate, passport; your ID card, birth certificate and the PASSPORT you had when you got married (not recent), your children's birth certificate and visa or citizenship certificates, marriage certificate etc...
8. MAKE SURE YOU BRING ALL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS TO BE VERIFIED BY THE OFFICER.
Regarding work/sponsorship:
If your husband has a job, you can apply for permission to work at the same time as the visa application. You must bring the offer letter plus company profile that has been endorsed by the company secretary.
If your husband has not got a job yet, he will need a sponsor. The sponsor could either be yourself (if you are working and earn more than RM2000 a month) or someone else. If it is someone else, they need to fill in one of the forms.
Once your husband gets a job, then you can apply for work permission.
You and your husband MUST be present at the time of application and renewal. The first visa is for 6 months then, potentially annually.
Questions.
Will I get my security bond back?
Only if your husband dies or if the two of you get a divorce (with proper divorce papers)
Is this process the same for wife?
Don't know...
I hope this has been helpful to the relevant people; please note that this is only based on my personal experience and the rules are constantly changing. To find out about the latest guidelines and further information please contact your local imigration office.
1. Get the forms from your local imigration department. You do not need to go to PutraJaya. If you live in Selangor, you can go to Shah Alam or Damansara if you live in KL. There maybe other places but you need to find out.
2. Fill in the forms which is quite A LOT!!! You need to get Signature from PesuruhJaya Tinggi for 2 Surat Akuan (usually will be within same building as the imigration department) and Stamp Duty Chop from Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri for your security bond (LHDN is usually in another building but close by)
3. Hand in all the stuff including all required photocopy of documents.
4. For those who get married overseas please make sure you get a marriage certificate from the mosque or equivalent with the marriage date.
5. You MUST register your marriage at Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri when you return to Malaysia preferably within the first year of your marriage. They will keep your overseas marriage certificate, so make sure you get a few certified copies because Imigration wants to see your overseas certificate as well.
6. If your husband is a convert, make sure he gets a conversion certificate from your local mosque or relevant mosque (in UK it would be Regent's Park Mosque). Of course you DON'T NEED a piece of paper to become a Muslim rather, all you need is to affirm that There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of God; (Shahadah) but for the purpose of imigration, just get a certificate. We are after all dealing with a non-Khilafah country.
7 After handing in all of the forms and documents, they will give you a reference number inside your passport, you ring them in one weeks time and if your application is successful, you bring your passport and get the visa (and of course pay your fees and BOND - I won't tell you how much cause it may change with time but safe to say keep a couple of thousands in your bank)
8. Relevant documents includes husband birth certificate, passport; your ID card, birth certificate and the PASSPORT you had when you got married (not recent), your children's birth certificate and visa or citizenship certificates, marriage certificate etc...
8. MAKE SURE YOU BRING ALL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS TO BE VERIFIED BY THE OFFICER.
Regarding work/sponsorship:
If your husband has a job, you can apply for permission to work at the same time as the visa application. You must bring the offer letter plus company profile that has been endorsed by the company secretary.
If your husband has not got a job yet, he will need a sponsor. The sponsor could either be yourself (if you are working and earn more than RM2000 a month) or someone else. If it is someone else, they need to fill in one of the forms.
Once your husband gets a job, then you can apply for work permission.
You and your husband MUST be present at the time of application and renewal. The first visa is for 6 months then, potentially annually.
Questions.
Will I get my security bond back?
Only if your husband dies or if the two of you get a divorce (with proper divorce papers)
Is this process the same for wife?
Don't know...
I hope this has been helpful to the relevant people; please note that this is only based on my personal experience and the rules are constantly changing. To find out about the latest guidelines and further information please contact your local imigration office.
Setting your own pace
6th April 2010
Alhamdulillah, things have settled down. From the time we first came home...all the bureaucracy, the visa, the interviews, the wait...now, things are in place and the pieces of the jigsaw is starting to form a picture. It may not be completed yet but at least you can see a picture emerging.
Everyone around me have been kind and helpful. However, it is important for me to set my own pace. There is a lot of learning to be done even for example, the roads in Malaysia. I've got lost several times just because I missed my turning and having to go through the whole of KL to get to where I wanted to go. It was terribly frustrating but that is part of the learning process. Next time, I know (or hope) that I won't make the same mistake again. I will insyaAllah NOT miss my exit. There have been times when I've taken the wrong turning and ended up going through a short cut...so, I've also learned something from my mistake...something good. That is life.
I've spent the last 3-4 months learning the Malaysian system especially when it comes to immigration. How to apply for visa for your spouse, your kids, where is Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri or what is it? It was a very steep learning curve...and now, I'm learning about the health system in Malaysia and my responsibilities at work.
It is very interesting and challenging. I am the type of person who likes to know how things work. Some people can just jump in and start doing things and experiment with new ideas; these people are known as the Activists but not me. I like to observe first and get to know the bigger picture. It is important for me to know my role within that bigger picture...and at the moment I'm starting to get a visual image of the bigger picture. When I can see my role within that bigger picture then, I can start to fly...
I also realise that I'm joining a highway of people...it's like if you're driving on a highway, you know that everyone has already set their pace and they are comfortable with that environment. I'm just joining the highway but I've been lucky that I manage to join the other traffic with ease but I still haven't decided on my pace or which lane I should go into, should I stay on the slow lane, middle lane or the overtaking lane. I'm still watching for large heavy vehicles, for sign boards, for other cars that are driving at 100mph.
What I'm trying to say is that you will take a bit of time to get familiar with your new life. You need time to know the system, to adjust and to be comfortable with your surroundings. I believe this is a normal process. There are still days when I ask myself, "Why am I here?" but those times are getting rare. There is no doubt that I miss certain things in the UK but I'm starting to feel that I belong here. Besides, if all else fails...I just look at my kids and I know no matter where we are, we'll be okay as long as we're together. May Allah keep us in His Protection at all times. Amin.
Alhamdulillah, things have settled down. From the time we first came home...all the bureaucracy, the visa, the interviews, the wait...now, things are in place and the pieces of the jigsaw is starting to form a picture. It may not be completed yet but at least you can see a picture emerging.
Everyone around me have been kind and helpful. However, it is important for me to set my own pace. There is a lot of learning to be done even for example, the roads in Malaysia. I've got lost several times just because I missed my turning and having to go through the whole of KL to get to where I wanted to go. It was terribly frustrating but that is part of the learning process. Next time, I know (or hope) that I won't make the same mistake again. I will insyaAllah NOT miss my exit. There have been times when I've taken the wrong turning and ended up going through a short cut...so, I've also learned something from my mistake...something good. That is life.
I've spent the last 3-4 months learning the Malaysian system especially when it comes to immigration. How to apply for visa for your spouse, your kids, where is Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri or what is it? It was a very steep learning curve...and now, I'm learning about the health system in Malaysia and my responsibilities at work.
It is very interesting and challenging. I am the type of person who likes to know how things work. Some people can just jump in and start doing things and experiment with new ideas; these people are known as the Activists but not me. I like to observe first and get to know the bigger picture. It is important for me to know my role within that bigger picture...and at the moment I'm starting to get a visual image of the bigger picture. When I can see my role within that bigger picture then, I can start to fly...
I also realise that I'm joining a highway of people...it's like if you're driving on a highway, you know that everyone has already set their pace and they are comfortable with that environment. I'm just joining the highway but I've been lucky that I manage to join the other traffic with ease but I still haven't decided on my pace or which lane I should go into, should I stay on the slow lane, middle lane or the overtaking lane. I'm still watching for large heavy vehicles, for sign boards, for other cars that are driving at 100mph.
What I'm trying to say is that you will take a bit of time to get familiar with your new life. You need time to know the system, to adjust and to be comfortable with your surroundings. I believe this is a normal process. There are still days when I ask myself, "Why am I here?" but those times are getting rare. There is no doubt that I miss certain things in the UK but I'm starting to feel that I belong here. Besides, if all else fails...I just look at my kids and I know no matter where we are, we'll be okay as long as we're together. May Allah keep us in His Protection at all times. Amin.
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