PETALING JAYA: The Kelantan branch of the Malaysian Immigration Department has revealed that women in the state are highly sought after by men from Pakistan, while local men tend to choose women from Thailand as their life partners.
According to a Sinar Harian report, this trend is reflected in the increasing number of spousal visa applications each year involving both nationalities.
Kelantan Immigration Director, Mohamed Yusoff Khan Mohd Hassan, said that the number of such marriages rises annually, especially those between Malaysian men and Thai women.
“These applications occur daily and have been increasing every year. In 2022, a total of 175 local men married Thai women, followed by 341 in 2023 and 308 last year.
“There are also Malaysian women who marry Thai men, but the numbers are much lower—only around 31 in 2022, 57 in 2023, and 78 in 2024,” he told reporters on Tuesday (Feb 18).
He further explained that both trends are on the rise, likely sparked by connections formed at workplaces, through friendships, or via family ties.
Meanwhile, marriages between Malaysian women and Pakistani men recorded 31 cases in 2022, 27 in 2023, and 34 in 2024.
Additionally, there were cases of local men marrying Pakistani women, though the numbers remain low—10 in 2022, 5 in 2023, and 9 in 2024.
