THE lucrative Malaysia MySecond Home (MM2H) programme may resume around March or April, based on indications by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri to MM2H agents and consultants.

Officially frozen since August last year, the uncertainty on when it will resume has caused much hardship, including loss of income to agents and consultants, as well as staff lay-offs.

Prior to August, MM2H visa holders, as well as new applicants, could not enter Malaysia as borders had been closed due to Covid-19 since March.

MM2H Agents Association president Anthony Liew said the group’s representatives met with Nancy on December 20, when she said details of the revamped programme are still being finalised but indicated that it could be restarted in March or April.

The Malaysian Insight contacted Nancy to confirm the dates of the programme’s resumption, but the minister had not replied at press time.

The programme, which earned Malaysia around RM40 billion between 2002 when it was launched and 2018, grants foreigners a renewable, ten-year multiple entry visa to applicants who have a sponsor, who have sufficient financial capacity to live in Malaysia without employment or assistance from the government.

They may bring in dependents and send their children to schools here, as well as purchase property, usually at a minimum of RM1 million per unit. They must maintain a certain amount of funds in a fixed deposit account in the country. They can also invest in businesses in Malaysia, but cannot run daily operations without a work permit.

Unclear on review’s purpose

The tourism ministry’s decision to freeze the programme and halt new applications was never explained other than for a review of procedure.

But Liew said it was learnt that the review might be related to the abuse of the ten-year, multiple-entry visa.

He said there had been cases involving visa holders who were arrested for illegal activities, such as online gambling, but that these were isolated cases.

“It is a very small number (of such cases) over the years, so it is not clear why it should create such a fuss to the extent that the programme has to be frozen,” he said.

In fact, Liew said, the procedure has been tightened from time to time over the years, such as requiring additional certification from applicants from certain countries.

“We agree that if there are loopholes, the process must be reviewed. But there was no need to freeze the programme pending the review.”

Another MM2H agent who did not want to be named said the Malaysian government’s review of the programme could be due to the submission of false documents. Those that are difficult to verify are financial documents from the applicants’ home country.

He said he had come across a few such cases in the applicants’ home country whereby “touts” hang around outside government buildings to approach the applicant with offers to expedite the process.

MM2H consultant Patrick Ho hopes the review will address these issues and that the programme will resume as soon as possible.

He said he was disappointed that the programme will not restart this month, as many had expected, since the minister previously said the review would be completed in December.

“The ministry doesn’t give clear directions and its answers are vague,” he said.

Ho has put on hold all the applications he handled prior to the freeze, and applicants have been bombarding him with queries on when they can submit their documents.

Applicants have told him they will wait until Chinese New Year (February 12), and if there are no updates from the authorities, they plan to withdraw their applications and request refunds on the consultation fees.

That will cause Ho cash flow problems, as the fees applicants have paid have been used to pay for expenses during the pandemic when there had been almost zero income.

“I really hope the programme will resume and I won’t have to refund and will be able to submit their application forms,” said Ho.  – January 10, 2021.