A recent High Court ruling stated that these children, whose fathers are foreigners, were entitled to citizenship by operation of law. Last week, the Court of Appeal dismissed the government’s stay application and ordered it to issue the children their citizenship documents.

Suri Kempe, the president of rights group Family Frontiers, said JPN told the mothers that their children’s citizenship confirmation certificates would be issued within three months.

“This is an exciting day, today’s trip to JPN confirmed that Malaysian women have the equal right to confer citizenship to their children. The mothers and their children went in, and JPN officers swiftly and efficiently facilitated the process to obtain their citizenship.

“Their children will finally be recognised as Malaysian citizens, and the mothers can use the citizenship confirmation certificate to get the children’s identification card.

“Similarly affected mothers can go to the nearest JPN to obtain the MyKad/MyKid for their children. JPN has told us they will be issuing SOPs to all other JPN offices in the country,” Suri told reporters outside the department’s building.

Meanwhile, one of the mothers, Myra said she and other Malaysian mothers were happy with the progress.

“Finally, Malaysian women can confer citizenship the same way a father does.

“I no longer have to go through the tedious process of applying for student visas for my kids. My child is officially a Malaysian citizen.” she told reporters.

Another mother, Devi, said it was an achievement for Malaysian mothers.

“My child can finally feel that he belongs here and no longer has to carry a passport all the time,” she said.

However, the government, the home minister and the national registration department (JPN) director-general’s appeal against the High Court decision is still scheduled to be heard in March.

The court will hear the government’s appeal on March 23, together with another case involving a woman born overseas to a Malaysian mother.

Suri hoped the government would withdraw the appeal.

“We continue to demand that the government withdraw its appeal over the High Court decision. To continue to appeal the ruling makes no logical, moral or economic sense, and is devoid of compassion and the lived realities of Malaysian women and their children.

“Even as we wait for the case to be heard at the Court of Appeal in March 2022, we want to underscore that the High Court decision respects Malaysian women’s status as equal citizens of Malaysia, and as individuals of equal in worth and dignity,” she added.