THE Home Ministry will give priority to adopted children and those born before independence when processing applications for citizenship, Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He added that applications for adopted children accounted for the highest number of pending citizenships at 133,436.

“They need to be given priority so that they can have easier access to services such as education and health.

“There are about 3,000 applications from those born before independence, and many of them are already in their 70s and 80s,” he said today.

Saifuddin said each procedure to approve the citizenship applications was guided by the Federal Constitution.

“There are 133,436 pending citizenship applications, and 6,079 applications have been processed so far this year,” he said.

He said his ministry is aiming to approve at least 10,000 applications this year. – Bernama, April 13, 2023.