Burmese Language
New immigration bill to highlight role of investors
The Burmese government is in the process of drafting a bill that would provide foreigners with permanent residency, according to the Immigration Department’s director-general.
According to an article in the state’s mouthpiece the New Light of Myanmar yesterday, the legislation aims to boost investment in the country by reaching out to foreign nationals and Burmese immigrants living abroad.
“The existing regulations do not allow dual citizenship, posing difficulties to foreign businessmen, intellectuals and technicians and immigrant Myanmar [Burmese] willing to make investment in Myanmar [Burma] because of its economic potential and permanent residence system is supposed to be an advisable solution,” read the article on the back page of the New Light of Myanmar.
The government’s Management Committee for Permanent Resident System, led by Vice President Nyan Htun, held its first coordination meeting with committee members and academics in Naypyidaw on 31 October.
Immigration Department director-general Maung Maung Than told DVB it will take about four months until the bill is finalised.
“There’s a lot of steps to go through; a deputy immigration minister would be assigned to hold extensive discussions with academics on the ground level and to report back to the committee to make necessary amendments [to the draft],” said Maung Maung Than.
“Since this is just our first meeting, there’s a way ahead and we have to hold monthly meetings. It should be ready to submit to the government in about four months.”
During a press conference earlier in the month, President Thein Sein said that dual-citizenship wouldn’t be permitted in Burma, but the government is looking to adopt a permanent residency system for Burmese people holding foreign citizenship.
According to the country’s immigration law, a person who wishes to become a Burmese citizen must renounce his or her own citizenship first.
Tags: foreigners, immigration, investment, reform, residency
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I am Burmese with foreign citizenship. Ready to go back and invest in our country. But foreigner are not allowed to own house or land (hope I am correct). In this case, we can’t just keep on renting during our stay there. Hope they count on this in the meetings.
Good initiative. I concur with Thein Sein idea of not permitting dual-citizenship for Burmese people abroad as naturally a citizen have only one home country.
Malaysia got MM2H visa (Malaysia my second home) which is 10 years valid and can apply by any foreigner (business or retired) purpose. Thailand got similar retirment plan visa. Hope they will consider and adopt inline with these visas, so Burmese with foreign citizenship can stay for longer periods. In Thailand, private hospitals, nursing homes, carer services industry cater for retired western foreigners who wish to call home.
This is good news.
Go ahead and liberalize all out laws, but please keep our citizens’ rights enhanced and intact.
Burma is the world poorest country so Burma is not equal to Thailand, Malaysia in the respect of financial status. Burma should has its own suitable immigration rule for the sake of its own people (all oversea Burmese and their children)in this issue. Dual citizenship must be accepted for all oversea Burmese and their children. The poor Burma has very poor social welfare, poor education system and poor health care system as well as there is no attraction to foreigners for living, working and investing in Burma (high property and industrial prices and insufficient electricity). Recently , world seems to feel that some naive Burmese have racial and religious discrimination against Rohingya and Kachin ethnics. Most Burmese leave or left their native country, Burma because of poor all successive military governments performance now and then. Even DASSK could not answer well in the respect of ethnics and Rohingya issues when she was in Harvard university. Even her children could not come back to help or accompany her (widow) after a long long separation of them. Cruel Than shwe and thein sein should read the Buddhist teaching, particularly in passion and humanitarian aspects.
Most oversea Burmese have to pay tax to Burmese government until January 2012 while working in oversea for keeping the Burmese passport’s validity. However, the poorest Burma could not offer sufficient jobs for her own citizens (very high unemployment) so most Burmese left or leave for oversea for earning and survival. Bama military governments have full responsibility for those oversea Burmese who made and make risk of their lives for survival or earning in oversea. Do not discriminate those oversea Burmese in the respect of eligibility of granting PR as well as consideration of acceptance of dual citizenship ( for gaining the trust of your own oversea Burmese first before attracting foreign investors).
Some businessmen, politicians, professionals and the rich want to retire and live in Malaysia under MM2H [commented by Maung earlier]. Will Myanmar start a similar programme?
Shaun Kwong
Myanmar government shall amend the PR policy as soon as possible and also shall consider for those spouse is foreigner and shall let the children to choice their citizenship as Myanmar. Now Myanmar have many problem for the new generation due to their father is foreigner. And the government shall allow the Myanmar people to marriage with foreigner..
As a foreigner I would like to set up a restaurant and other business in Myanmar and retire there. So I hope they can sort this thing out. I bring money and experience to the country and will attract tourists