The government has agreed to review the strict terms and conditions for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme which has led to many who opted to adopt this country as their second home to leave and the number of new applicants drop by up to 90 per cent.

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) said the decision to review the controversial conditions imposed since 2021 was reached following a meeting attended by its minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi.

Tiong said the application process for the programme will be made more flexible.

He added that both parties had agreed for Tourism Malaysia to promote and provide recommendations for applications via a filtering process through an MM2H one-stop centre.

The one-stop centre will assist interested individuals to process their applications and collate documents for submission to the Home Ministry or the Immigration Department for the issuance of the MM2H pass.

In a statement issued today, Tiong said his discussion with Ruji had also touched on the visa on arrival (VOA) facility for visitors from China and India to promote the growth of the tourism sector.

He said a proposal on the VOA for both nationalities will be submitted to the cabinet soon for further action.

It was previously reported that the MM2H programme has seen a 90 per cent drop in the number of applicants because of tougher conditions imposed.

Reports said those looking for adopted homes were opting for other neighbouring countries no thanks to the strict conditions imposed by the previous administration in 2021.

The new conditions imposed required applicants to have permanent savings of at least RM1 million and liquid assets of at least RM1.5 million.

Previously, they only needed savings of between RM300,000 and RM500,000.

They must now also show an offshore income of at least RM40,000 a month.

The Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is among those who has expressed hope that the federal government would immediately review the strict conditions for the MM2H programme.

He had raised the issue during an audience with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in 2021 itself.

Sultan Ibrahim had then said Johor was a key destination for foreign investors and the state was among the main contributors to Malaysia’s economic growth.

Source: NST Online