FOREIGNERS wishing to settle down in Malaysia are hoping the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme will be revived soon. 

They told The Malaysian Insight that the uncertainly has delayed their plans.

A British applicant, who wished to be known as Leo CG, said it was not clear when the programme would be unfrozen.

It was suspended in July for a review after all the applications this year were rejected. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has not said when it will resume.

“I do not understand why they (the ministry) did not just conduct a review without actually freezing and rejecting or returning applications.

“Do they have any idea how onerous and costly it is to submit an application?” Leo said.

Since a backpacking trip to Malaysia in 1989, Leo has returned regularly to the country for his summer vacation.

Leo discovered the MM2H programme in 2018 and spoke to an agent a year later. Currently, his application is on ice.

The 69-year-old Briton is still waiting to find out if he qualifies for the scheme that will give him a multiple-entry resident visa, renewable every 10 years, and the right to buy property in Malaysia.

The applicant is required to show proof of liquid assets and maintain a fixed amount in a bank account in Malaysia.

‘A bit uncaring’

“My application was due to be submitted in December 2019 but my documents such as bank statements were in the wrong format which caused a delay. And then they shut the programme,” Leo said.

“The nine to 12 months delay was bad enough; I can only imagine the massive backlog caused by a bottleneck of possibly two years.

“It is hard to plan your life with such uncertainty. It has been quite stressful due to the lack of information.

“That is a bit uncaring towards the applicants and it even pushes us towards considering other countries.”

Leo hopes to remain in Malaysia until his MM2H application is processed and hopefully approved.

Henry, a Scandinavian entrepreneur, is also thrown off by the abrupt suspension of the programme.

“The process of applying was easy and straightforward. I did it myself without an agent’s help.

“It was quite a lot of work to get all the documents sorted out,” said the 53-year-old.

He said he didn’t understand why the programme was on pause.

In the meantime, his plans are on hold.

“I have a company and an operation in China but I would like to do this here in Malaysia where my plans are.

“If I could get the MM2H sorted out, I would continue to plan to invest, find a location for the place, hire people and start the business,” he said.

His plan is to open a business supplying furnishings to hotels and cruise ships.

Henry said he was drawn to Malaysia because of business opportunities and its proximity to other Asian countries which would save freight costs and reduce the business’ carbon footprint.

He has regularly visited Malaysia since 2007. On this trip, he arrived a month before travel restrictions were announced.in March and has since stayed.

Although he will visit Europe in January, Henry has a return ticket to Malaysia, where he hopes his plans to settle will come through. 

He said he loved the country for the climate, reasonable living costs, food and friendly people.

“It is also good as a base for travel to other countries and there are plenty of things to see in Malaysia. Good for mini weekend holidays.”

‘We will spend money’

Americans David Hewitt and his wife are also waiting for news about the MM2H programme.

They came to Malaysia in February, before the MCO was imposed, after having also considered living in Chiang Mai in Thailand.

“They are both great places to live and retire. Easy to get around with the English language (widely spoken), great food, wide variety of accommodations, good medical facilities and good weather.

“When the MCO happened and all the other countries also closed their borders, we rented an apartment and stayed. We loved it here and decided to apply for MM2H.”

The Hewitts, who are in their 50s, hope to retire to do consultancy and volunteer work in Southeast Asia.

“We were sad to hear the MM2H programme was suspended and hope it will be offered again soon.

“We believe it is good both for us and for Malaysia because we will spend money on housing, food, and services.” – November 17, 2020.