SERDANG, May 15 — More than 8,000 citizenship applications have been processed as of the first week of May, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Previously, the ministry had aimed to process at least 10,000 applications for citizenship this year.

"My priority is the applications under the category of adopted children,” he told reporters during his ministry’s Aidilfitri celebration at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang here.

He said that this was because adopted children do not have identification documents which would prevent them from getting cheaper healthcare and education, for example.

Saifuddin added that the data on the outcome of the 8,000 processed applications will be released by his ministry later.

With seven months left, Saifuddin said that he is confident that the ministry will achieve its target of 10,000.

On a similar note, he said that citizenship applications in Sarawak are progressing smoothly.

"For Sarawak, we are determined to grant approval to 1,500 applications and up until now we have made a decision on all pending cases,” he added.

He explained that his ministry and the Sarawak government have established the Special Committee for Citizenship in Sarawak through the Sarawak Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.