How long would you wait to get married?
For Malaysian Zeng Xueli and Myanmar-born He Zhansheng the answer is 15 years.
The heartwarming story of the couple, who have eight (yes, eight) children aged between one and 15, recently swept the internet.
According to reports, Zhangsheng and Xueli’s marriage application were rejected by Malaysian authorities four times because he was born in Myanmar and does not have a resident visa in Malaysia.
Though the couple did hold a traditional Chinese wedding after dating for two years, Zhangsheng was worried about not being allowed back into the country should he go back to Myanmar.
He effectively became an illegal immigrant when he decided to stay on in Malaysia to be with his family,
But the worry of their marriage not being legally recognised and Zhengsheng’s residential status constantly hung over their heads.
They also feared that should law enforcement officers catch on about Zhangsheng’s status, it could implicate Xueli and the kids.
After four failed attempts, the couple were finally given the go-ahead to get their marriage legally registered on Feb 6 at the National Registration Department in Negeri Sembilan.
Xueli even turned up in a wedding dress to mark the occasion.
Scroll down for the video.