In this chapter, I examine the assumptions underlying governmental policies and procedures
in relation to international marriage in Malaysia. When marriage is contracted between two
individuals of different nationalities, it usually involves one party migrating to the country of
the other, whether before or after marriage. This often brings out the underlying tensions
between the state and its citizens, and within the state itself. The state as gatekeeper of the
nation seeks to control migratory flows and entry into citizenship according to its own criteria
and logic, often conflicting with the intentions and motivations of individuals who marry and
migrate. This creates tension between the state’s role as protector of the institution of family
and as gatekeeper to citizenship entitlement. As marriage is one of the ways by which one
may gain national citizenship status, the nexus between migration and marriage has become a
particularly contentious site.