Malaysian Government Has Temporarily Frozen New Application of MM2H

The Malaysian government has temporarily frozen the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa. All new applications are now on hold with no specific return date set. The Malaysian government has announced it will revise the program with the hopes of improving it while providing no further details on any potential changes or reforms.

This is the second time in fewer than two years that the government has temporarily suspended the program.

Last week, news emerged about the MM2H office in the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) closing. This prompted the Immigration Director-General Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud to announce that the MM2H office in MOTAC would no longer handle MM2H applications and that he would, instead, shift them to the Immigration Department.

“All immigration matters related to the Malaysia My Second Home program will be handled at the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya, beginning July 6,” the Immigration Director-General declared on July 2nd.

Though fears of the imminent closure of the program began to arise, they did not linger for long; MOTAC addressed reporters just a few hours later with updates on the status of the program.

Preliminary reopening date set for December

Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, the Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, addressed reporters on July 2^nd, announcing that the program would begin a temporary hiatus. The currently effective Movement Control Order (MCO), a response to the Coronavirus pandemic, would also give the government ample time to conduct a full review of the program.

“During the movement control order (MCO) period, we discovered that there is a lot we can do to improve MM2H. The government is using this opportunity to look into its activities and also the process involved in the approval,” stated Minister Shukri

The Minister went on to announce that the government’s initial plan was to reopen the MM2H by December of 2020 while highlighting the importance of the program and ensuring those present that this hiatus does not spell doom for the world’s largest investment visa of 2019.

“We’re targeting to get everything done by December. It’s not a permanent closure because the program contributes to our economy,” added Minister Shukri.

While peninsular Malaysia has suspended all MM2H visa processing, it still draws breath in Sarawak. State Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, pointed out: “In Sarawak, it is still ongoing. This is because Sarawak has its own immigration and land policies”.

MM2H Alternate Program FAQ

Since the Malaysia My Second Home program temporarily froze new applications, what alternative long-term visa can be applied for?

There are 2 visas that you can apply. You can browse through the following links for more details.
1) Employment Pass / Professional Visa (DP10) / Professional Visit Pass Visa (PVP)

2) Malaysia Residence Permit-Talent (RP-T)

Should you want to know more about the latest development of MM2H or the above visas, please fill out the form below, we will contact and assist you in applying for a long-term visit visa to Malaysia.

Source: Investment Migration Insider (IMI)