KUCHING: Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah firmly has refuted claims that the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme is exclusively promoted to Chinese applicants.
The Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said while China is among the top applicant for MM2H, the programme is also open for applicants from other country, except Israel and North Korea.
He was responding to claims from former Information, Communications and Culture Minister Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim on Facebook on Friday on the MM2H programme, which was alleged to have given permanent residency to 22,000 Chinese nationals in Malaysia.
“China’s large population and deep familiarity with Malaysia likely explain why many have fallen in love with our country.
“Like the Sarawak-Malaysia MySecond Home (S-MM2H) programme, our highest number of applicants are from China, Europe, United States of America, and Singapore.
“But as it is, MM2H is open to all countries in the world, not just limited to China,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after officiating at 2025 Asia/Oceania Pre-Qualifying Davis Cup Junior at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Tennis Centre here today.
While S-MM2H is slightly different from MM2H, as it is managed by the state government, Karim said the fundamentals of both of the programme remain the same.
“The goal is to attract individuals from other countries who love Malaysia and wish to make it their home — not necessarily by applying for citizenship or permanent residency, but by visiting regularly.
“To make this process easier and reduce the hassle of excessive requirements, the MM2H programme typically grants a pass for five years, with an option to extend for another five.
“This allows participants to enter and exit the country freely throughout the validity period,” he added.
Additionally, SLTA president Datuk Patrick Liew said the programme have been very beneficial towards the tennis development in Sarawak.
“Many of our junior tennis players come from China, Korea, and Japan.
“Out of 65 juniors, a significant number are foreign students, who pay a slightly higher fee — an important revenue source for us.
“We fully support the MM2H programme as it helps boost the popularity and growth of tennis here,” he said.
Recent reports stated that Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing emphasised that the MM2H programme is not meant only for Chinese nationals but is open to applicants from any country.
He said that through this programme, foreigners are allowed to apply for residency under different eligibility criteria and those who succeed will receive a residence pass for a specified period.
