Malaysia’s popular expat programme in limbo
Days for Malaysia’s popular expat retirement programme “Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)” could be numbered due to a “major disagreement between the immigration and tourism ministries about the programme itself,” Free Malaysia Today cited a visa service agent.
According to Andrew Davison, CEO of The Expat Group, said that the programme’s processing center in Kuala Lumpur has been closed “until further notice” and an unprecedented 90 per cent of latest applications have been rejected.
There was no immediate confirmation available from MM2H whether the programme would be discontinued. Currently, Davison said, no one can submit any application relating to MM2H visas.
On the MM2H homepage a notice can be found that the center would reopen after Malaysia’s lockdown phase, the Movement Control Order (MCO), ends and that applications will be possible by appointment only and not on a walk-in basis, but it is understood that the center will cater primarily to overstay cases resulting from the lockdown phase
The MCO is currently in place until June 9 and then will turn into a “recovery phase” until August 31 with less rigid restrictions.
“Immigration department opposed to MM2H”
Davison said he assumed that for future application approval would be needed by the immigration department director-general which would put the future of the programme in doubt, claiming that “some people in government” wanted full control over the programme or were outright opposed to it.
He added that until recently, applications for renewal, transfer and new applications were processed by staff in the tourism ministry and later passed to the immigration department for extra stamps to be placed on their passports.
MM2H is a rather unbureaucratic programme that allows foreigners to stay in Malaysia for a period of ten years, buy property, bring in their spouses and move their possessions duty-free to the country.
As per latest available figures, the scheme brought the government 40.6 billion ringgit (roughly 9.6 billion) in total revenue from the time it was introduced in 2002 until 2018.
Days for Malaysia’s popular expat retirement programme “Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)” could be numbered due to a “major disagreement between the immigration and tourism ministries about the programme itself,” Free Malaysia Today cited a visa service agent. According to Andrew Davison, CEO of The Expat Group, said that the programme’s processing center in Kuala Lumpur has been closed “until further notice” and an unprecedented 90 per cent of latest applications have been rejected. There was no immediate confirmation available from MM2H whether the programme would be discontinued. Currently, Davison said, no one can submit any application relating to MM2H...
Days for Malaysia’s popular expat retirement programme “Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)” could be numbered due to a “major disagreement between the immigration and tourism ministries about the programme itself,” Free Malaysia Today cited a visa service agent.
According to Andrew Davison, CEO of The Expat Group, said that the programme’s processing center in Kuala Lumpur has been closed “until further notice” and an unprecedented 90 per cent of latest applications have been rejected.
There was no immediate confirmation available from MM2H whether the programme would be discontinued. Currently, Davison said, no one can submit any application relating to MM2H visas.
On the MM2H homepage a notice can be found that the center would reopen after Malaysia’s lockdown phase, the Movement Control Order (MCO), ends and that applications will be possible by appointment only and not on a walk-in basis, but it is understood that the center will cater primarily to overstay cases resulting from the lockdown phase
The MCO is currently in place until June 9 and then will turn into a “recovery phase” until August 31 with less rigid restrictions.
“Immigration department opposed to MM2H”
Davison said he assumed that for future application approval would be needed by the immigration department director-general which would put the future of the programme in doubt, claiming that “some people in government” wanted full control over the programme or were outright opposed to it.
He added that until recently, applications for renewal, transfer and new applications were processed by staff in the tourism ministry and later passed to the immigration department for extra stamps to be placed on their passports.
MM2H is a rather unbureaucratic programme that allows foreigners to stay in Malaysia for a period of ten years, buy property, bring in their spouses and move their possessions duty-free to the country.
As per latest available figures, the scheme brought the government 40.6 billion ringgit (roughly 9.6 billion) in total revenue from the time it was introduced in 2002 until 2018.
