Law or policy reform enabling acquisition of nationality by registration
grant citizenship to permanent residency holders over the age of 60, some of whom
were stateless. In April 2019, the Government announced that it was reviewing standard
operating procedures to expedite citizenship applications for those under the age of
21 years.54 In December 2019, the Government further announced that the revised
procedures would entail a reduced processing time for children and a notification
mechanism in case of rejection.55 This announcement was welcomed by UNHCR and
DHRRA and both organizations have engaged in ongoing advocacy and made policy
recommendations to simplify administrative procedures in citizenship applications.56
54
“Government to review SOP on granting citizenship: Muhyiddin”, New Straits Times, 6 November 2019, available at: www.
nst.com.my/news/government-public-policy/2019/04/475054/government-review-sop-granting-citizenship-muhyiddin
55 “Muhyiddin: Home Ministry taking proactive measures to resolve issues on citizenship application”, The Malay Mail, 28
December 2019, available at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/12/28/muhyiddin-home-ministry-takingproactive-measures-to-resolve-issues-on-citi/1822760
56 DHRRA Malaysia, “Recommendation on statelessness & documentation issues”, 5 June 2018, available at: https://
dhrramalaysia.org.my/publications/procedural-policy-recommendation-on-statelessness-documentation-issues/
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