Kids born to M’sian mothers abroad now entitled to citizenship

The Star

CHILDREN born to Malaysian mothers will now be able to get citizenship status.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong said a mechanism was introduced on June 1 last year to allow Malaysian women living overseas with their foreign spouses to make citizenship applications for their children.

Previously only children born overseas to Malaysian fathers were entitled to Malaysian citizenship.

Lee said 88 citizenship applications were received up to end-March.

“The mechanism is permanent in nature and not an interim admi­nistrative measure.

“It is aimed at helping Malaysian mothers overseas to make the citizenship application while abroad instead of returning home to do it,” he said when replying to a question raised by Senator Chew Lee Giok.

He said applications were made via the respective Malaysian representative offices overseas and processed by the National Registration Department (NRD) before being submit­­ted to the Home Ministry for a de­cision.

On a separate issue, Lee said the ministry was gathering information from the NRD and NGOs on the issue of “marriages of convenience” involving foreign women who marry local men merely to obtain legal status here.