Visa and work permit

Visa and work permit

I came to Indonesia in July 1994 to get married. For that purpose, the Indonesia Consulate in New York gave me a social visit visa. The Consul told me that once I was married, it would be no problem for me to get permanent residence so that I could stay in Indonesia with my wife. He also said that I would be able to get a work permit. This turned out not to be the case.

After I was married, I went to the immigration office in Bandung. I was told that with the visa I had, I would not be able to stay for more than six months. I was also told that the only way I could get a work permit is if I left and got a business visa. To do that, I would have to get an Indonesian business to sponsor me. The immigration office also informed me that our children would indeed have to follow my citizenship and would not be Indonesian citizens.

I found a company in Bandung that was willing to give me a letter for the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. With that letter, I was granted a business visa. When I returned to Indonesia the company refused to help me to get a work permit and refused to help me extend my visa. I had to leave Indonesia again so that I would not overstay my visa.

My wife and I were hoping to make our life here in Indonesia, but this appears to be impossible. Now we will probably have to leave Indonesia. All of this has happened because an Indonesian Consular official gave me wrong information. The government should thoroughly teach its employees the law to prevent situations like this from happening.

I have been told that one of the principles of Indonesian Pancasila is social justice. There is no social justice in laws that break up families simply because the husband is not an Indonesian citizen.

KEVIN J. DUNPHY

Bandung, West Java