KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Malaysia's Federal lawmakers have unanimously passed the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024, which revises citizenship laws, impacting stateless groups and the children of some Malaysians. Despite controversy, the Bill secured the supermajority needed to amend the Federal Constitution. Here are the key changes:

1. *Gender Equality*: Citizenship by birth abroad is now granted to children of either Malaysian mother or father, correcting previous bias favoring Malaysian men.

2. *New Registration Deadline*: A one-year limit is now set for registering foreign-born children.

3. *Permanent Resident Children*: Kids of permanent residents will no longer automatically receive Malaysian citizenship.

4. *Foreign Spouse Citizenship Risk*: Foreign spouses who gain citizenship through marriage risk losing it if the marriage ends within two years of acquiring it.

5. *Language Requirement*: Foreign wives of Malaysian men must show basic proficiency in Bahasa Melayu for citizenship applications.

6. *Age Limit for Stateless Applicants*: The age limit for citizenship applications drops from 21 to 18, effectively excluding older pending applicants.

Additional changes include requiring oaths of allegiance for children born abroad and presuming abandoned newborns are born in Malaysia if found there. While citizen groups like Family Frontiers welcomed the amendment, they criticized the removal of automatic citizenship for permanent residents' children.