KUCHING: Successful applicants of the Sarawak Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) programme are now permitted to apply for work in certain sectors in the state.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said applicants can work in professions that will benefit the state and this fine-tuning of the policy will be enforced from Aug 1.
Referring to part-time lecturers as an example, he said applicants who are interested to work will have to apply to the ministry and will be forwarded to the Immigration, Labour and Monitoring Unit in the Premier’s Department as well as the State Secretary’s Office.
“Previously, applicants were not allowed to work but we have decided to make refinements in this aspect so that we are in line with the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme in Peninsular Malaysia.
“There are specific types of work that they can go for, especially in sectors where we do not have many Sarawakian experts and professionals.
“For those who are interested in starting a company or business in Sarawak, they can do so through sleeping partners whereby the shareholders must be 51 per cent Sarawakian and 49 per cent foreign,” he said.
He made these remarks after chairing the S-MM2H approval committee meeting at Baitulmakmur Building II on Tuesday (Aug 1).
Another refinement the approval committee has done is regarding the requirement for applicants to purchase a property of at least RM600,000 in value.
Abdul Karim said purchasing a property will be a choice for applicants who are in the 30 to 49 age category.
“Even if they do not fulfill the requirement of purchasing a property but instead have children who are getting their education or seeking long term medical treatment in Sarawak, they will still need a place to stay through property rental.
“We want as much economic spinoff as possible through the participation of S-MM2H applicants,” he said.
At the same time, Abdul Karim announced that the approval committee has approved 406 applications from January to July this year and he is confident the number of applications will continue to increase.
He said a total of 411 applications were approved last year and the year 2022 as well as 2023 have seen an encouraging surge of applications made by those who are interested in making Sarawak their holiday or second home.
He also said this is owing to the attractive requirements set for the S-MM2H which differs slightly from the MM2H.
“The MM2H in Peninsular Malaysia requires applicants to show financial proof by making a fixed deposit of RM1 million per person and they must have liquid assets too. For each dependent, applicants must make a fixed deposit of RM50,000.
“This is way higher compared to the RM150,000 fixed deposit required by S-MM2H. I believe this is one of the reasons why these applicants decided to stay in Sarawak instead.
“From peaceful and safe environment, lush and green rainforests, to low cost of living, we really do have a lot to offer,” he said.
On the issue of applicants waiting long for approval and issuance of approval letter, Abdul Karim said the approval committee is aware of this and striving for improvements.
He expressed confidence that once the backlogged applications have been cleared, the duration for approval will be within 90 days as stated on the ministry’s website.
“The approval committee comes together at least once a month and sometimes twice to address backlogged applications’ approval. However, sometimes the root of delay is due to forms filled in by the applicants especially pertaining to signature in the presence of a witness.
“There have been cases where the applicants signed their declaration form in their country of origin, but the witness signed in Kuching. This cannot be the case, so there are some delays due to this,” he said.
Abdul Karim assured that this will be a thing of the past once the approval committee has cleared some 100 backlogged applications.
Among the top ten countries participating S-MM2H programme since its introduction in 2007 are United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, United States of America, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and Australia.
