KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry has cleared a backlog of 19,205 entry permit applications dating from 2013 to 2023. Of these, 15,081 were approved while 4,124 were rejected.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the backlog was resolved after a special task force was set up within the Immigration Department.
“Throughout 2024, there were 2,575 new applications. These will also be fully processed within this month.
“As of June this year, we have received 1,900 applications. I have instructed ministry officers and the National Registration Department to ensure they are all settled by September. This will allow us to manage an average of 300 new entry permit applications per month,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin said the ministry had also introduced clearer guidelines, including a rule requiring all entry permit applications to be processed within six months to prevent applicants from enduring years-long delays.
He added that the process had been eased for foreign women married to Malaysian men applying for permanent residency (PR).
“The required marriage registration period has been reduced from five years to three, and the spouse visa holding period shortened from five years to one year before they can apply for PR.
“She only needs to hold a spouse visa for one year before being eligible to apply.
“However, if the husband is a foreigner married to a Malaysian woman, he must still register the marriage for five years and hold a spouse visa for five years before being eligible to apply for PR,” he said.
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