Sarawak MM2H sees increase in applications

• Sarawak tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister Abdul Karim Rahman said this is “probably because our conditions are more attractive [compared to the national MM2H]”.

PETALING JAYA (Aug 14): The Sarawak’s Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme is experiencing an increase in applications as it has “more attractive conditions”.

Sarawak tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah told the FMT news portal that this is “probably because our conditions are more attractive [compared to the national MM2H]”.

“We are comfortable with our current criteria, which still continue to attract applicants,” added Karim.

According to the same report, the Sarawak programme imposes “fewer restrictive financial requirements than” the national MM2H.

Applicants for the Sarawak MM2H are required to place a fixed deposit of RM150,000 (RM300,000 for couples) and possess a monthly offshore income of RM7,000 (RM10,000 for couples).

In comparison, the national MM2H needs an applicant to have assets of RM1.5 million, a monthly offshore income of RM40,000, and fixed deposit RM1 million. Each applicant for the national MM2H also has to pay a one-off RM50,000 fee for each dependent if the principal is 35 to 49 years old.

In late June, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing announced that the outcome of a review of Putrajaya’s MM2H programme will be known within two months.

Tiong said then that the ministry was aware that foreigners keen on the national MM2H had been dismayed by a slew of criteria such as having a fixed deposit of at least RM1 million that are seen as obstacles for them to join the scheme.

There had been many calls for the government to ease the requirements, which were announced in August 2021.

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