Foreign spouses, children of Malaysians can now apply to come back

However, only applicants from countries that are allowed to enter Malaysia would be considered, he said in a statement today.

"For countries that are subject to entry restrictions, the applications will not be considered until there is a decision to lift the entry restrictions for these countries," he said.

Applicants who are allowed to enter the country are foreign wives or husbands and children of Malaysian citizens or permanent residents.

They have to be legally married and their marriages ought to have been registered with the National Registration Department, State Islamic Religious Department or the State Islamic Religious Council or registered with the Malaysian Embassy or the Malaysian High Commission abroad.

Khairul Dzaimee said the application must be sent via email [email protected] for evaluation before entry permission is given.

Applicants can browse the website www.imi.gov.my to obtain procedures and guidelines for admission to the category before submitting a complete application to [email protected].