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Indonesian women have welcomed the passage of the Immigration Law that boosts the rights of foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens.

Isabelle Mace Panggabean, 31, who is half French and half Indonesian and married to an Indonesian, hailed the new law, saying said she would now be able to gain permanent residency.

The mother of one said she would now no longer have to extend her Kitas every year and would be able to work to provide for her family if her husband ever became sick.

Isabelle said she was concerned the Immigration Law would never be passed given the number of bills being discussed in the House.

Juliani Wistarina Luthan, an Indonesian citizen who has been married to a Japanese man for 15 years, thanked the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) for passing the “reformist” law.

She said her husband would no longer need to extend his Kitas.

Marissa said she and her foreign-born husband were happy with the law.

“Because we don’t have children yet, this is definitely going to be good for their future. Instead of their nationality being decided for them by default, now they have their own voice.”

She said her husband would also be spared the “hassle” of having to renew his temporary residence permit (Kitas) every year.

She said she was pleased the DPR had finally done something right.

Fahri Hamzah, deputy chairman of House Commission III, which hammered out the law together with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, described the passage as a “breakthrough.”

House Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso described the law as “monumental” and one of the most important pieces of legislation passed by the current batch of legislators.

The law grants permanent residency to the foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens after two years of marriage, requiring them to report to the Immigration Department once every five years.

The law also allows foreign spouses to remain the country if they are divorced after ten years of marriage. They can also work.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar said the law allowed children from mixed marriages permanent residency even after the age of 18.

“We want to give protection to Indonesian citizens and their foreign families and relatives. They are the children of Indonesia. Their [foreign] wives and husbands are part of our extended family,” he said.

Patrialis said the law also meant that foreign investors could now gain permanent residency after three years, down from the current five.

The law goes into force in a maximum of 30 days, he said.

The law contains no details about property ownership, which is still being debated under a separate bill.

Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari told the Jakarta Globe that Citizenship Law provided the legal framework for foreigners wishing to become Indonesian citizens.

Julie Mace, a representative of the International Rainbow Alliance and the Indonesian Mixed Marriage Society, said they would wait to see how the law was implemented in the field.

She said she hoped that the concerned government ministries would implement the law, particularly the rights of foreign spouses to work in the country.