Chong Eng Shin Posts About His Second Home and Explains The New Regulations During The Q&A Session
(Petaling Jaya, June 19) Following the release of the new framework of the Malaysia My Second Home Programme (MM2H) on June 15, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong Keng Sing today gave further explanation to the public in the form of a question and answer session (Q&A).
Chong Sing posted on Facebook today that he has been paying close attention to feedback and opinions from all walks of life on the new MM2H regulations, and understands that many people are still confused and puzzled about the regulations, and even misunderstand that it is deliberately difficult.
1. How many dependents can the MM2H main applicant bring with him/her?
Chong said that MM2H applicants are allowed to bring their families to live in Malaysia, and there is no limit on the number of families, as long as they meet the relevant conditions, namely spouse (husband/wife) and children. This also includes stepchildren and adopted children (limited to those under 21 years old, or between 21 and 34 years old, and unemployed or unmarried in Malaysia), disabled children (no age limit, medical expert certification is required), parents and/or parents-in-law, and foreign domestic helpers (only for "Platinum Group" participants).
2. Do the family members of MM2H applicants need to pay a participation fee?
Chong said that only the main applicant of the program needs to pay a one-time participation fee, which is not calculated based on the number of people, meaning that other family members do not need to bear the relevant fees.
3. Regardless of the category, do I need to renew my MM2H pass every 5 years?
He stressed that after successfully applying for the MM2H program, the authorities will issue MM2H permits of different lengths according to the applicant's group and the validity period of their passport, such as 20 years for the platinum group, 15 years for the gold group and 5 years for the silver group. After the maximum period of the MM2H permit expires, applicants will need to renew their permits every 5 years and pay renewal fees based on the standards of different groups.
4. Why is only the platinum group allowed to conduct investment and trading activities?
Mr Cheung said that under the new framework, only the platinum group is allowed to engage in investment and business activities, mainly because this group aims to attract MM2H applicants with high spending power to further revitalize the Malaysian economy through their investment and business activities.
He said if applicants in the gold and silver groups are interested in investing or doing business in Malaysia, the department will make further adjustment depending on the situation, including assisting in applying for the required permits from the relevant departments.
5. MM2H agency has a higher threshold and strict conditions?
Mr Cheung replied that the ministry had received too many complaints from MM2H applicants in the past, including industry problems such as intermediaries losing contact after being charged, applicants paying high intermediary fees but not being able to obtain permits, and repeated resale of intermediary licences, which had caused MM2H's reputation to plummet.
Set a registration threshold to ensure intermediary conditions
To this end, he said that the Ministry of Tourism has set a registration threshold for MM2H intermediaries in the new framework to ensure that licensed intermediaries have the qualified strength and financial resources, thereby enhancing the credibility and responsibility of intermediaries.
He believes that the measures will further prevent MM2H applicants from suffering losses in all aspects due to unscrupulous intermediaries in the process, protect the rights and interests of both parties, and effectively enhance applicants' confidence in the MM2H scheme.
6. Why do intermediaries need to pay a high bank guarantee of RM200,000?
Teo explained that if the Ministry of Tourism receives a complaint and finds that an intermediary has levied fees that exceed the prescribed range, the agent's licence will be revoked and the RM200,000 bank guarantee will be used to reimburse the excess fees imposed on MM2H applicants.
7. How to avoid bad intermediaries?
Zhang Qingxin stressed that at present, the Ministry of Tourism is improving the relevant regulations and will announce them as soon as possible, including that all MM2H intermediaries can only levy a certain percentage of fees at most before the customer successfully applies for the MM2H pass, such as only 20% of the total intermediary service fee as a deposit.
8. The property purchased by the MM2H participant cannot be resold for 10 years?
He said that the value of the property purchased by MM2H participants must meet the minimum threshold set by each group and cannot be resold for a period of 10 years, unless the applicant wants to purchase a new property within the 10-year period, in which case the resale of the original property is allowed, provided that the value of the new property purchased is higher than the value of the original property at the time of purchase.
(For example, if the property purchased by an applicant in the Platinum Group is RM2 million, the new property to be upgraded must be higher than RM2 million.)
Children are not allowed to enrol in government primary and secondary schools
9. Are the children of MM2H participants unable to attend primary and secondary schools in the government system?
Teo said that the children of MM2H program participants are not able to enroll in primary and secondary schools in the government system, but can choose to attend international schools or study at Malaysia Higher Education Institutions (IPT) accredited by the Malaysia government.
10. Will the new MM2H framework continue the common problem of overnight changes in the past, and will it be full of uncertainties?
He stressed that the Special Committee on the Malaysia Second Home Programme has made it clear that the MM2H framework and ordinances implemented in this auction will not be repeatedly revised with
changes in the political situation or cabinet reshuffle.
He said that this is why the Ministry of Tourism needs to spend a lot of time to review the imperfections of MM2H applications in the past, and make corrections and improvements, so that applicants can have more confidence in the MM2H scheme.
Mr Cheung explained that the new regulations are undoubtedly aimed at salvaging the MM2H program's international reputation and addressing a long-standing issue that has led to a gradual loss of confidence among applicants around the world. In addition, he also implored people not to "pick bones in the egg" and make unnecessary hype about this.
News from Sin Chew Daily
Chong Sing posted on Facebook today that he has been paying close attention to feedback and opinions from all walks of life on the new MM2H regulations, and understands that many people are still confused and puzzled about the regulations, and even misunderstand that it is deliberately difficult.
1. How many dependents can the MM2H main applicant bring with him/her?
Chong said that MM2H applicants are allowed to bring their families to live in Malaysia, and there is no limit on the number of families, as long as they meet the relevant conditions, namely spouse (husband/wife) and children. This also includes stepchildren and adopted children (limited to those under 21 years old, or between 21 and 34 years old, and unemployed or unmarried in Malaysia), disabled children (no age limit, medical expert certification is required), parents and/or parents-in-law, and foreign domestic helpers (only for "Platinum Group" participants).
2. Do the family members of MM2H applicants need to pay a participation fee?
Chong said that only the main applicant of the program needs to pay a one-time participation fee, which is not calculated based on the number of people, meaning that other family members do not need to bear the relevant fees.
3. Regardless of the category, do I need to renew my MM2H pass every 5 years?
He stressed that after successfully applying for the MM2H program, the authorities will issue MM2H permits of different lengths according to the applicant's group and the validity period of their passport, such as 20 years for the platinum group, 15 years for the gold group and 5 years for the silver group. After the maximum period of the MM2H permit expires, applicants will need to renew their permits every 5 years and pay renewal fees based on the standards of different groups.
4. Why is only the platinum group allowed to conduct investment and trading activities?
Mr Cheung said that under the new framework, only the platinum group is allowed to engage in investment and business activities, mainly because this group aims to attract MM2H applicants with high spending power to further revitalize the Malaysian economy through their investment and business activities.
He said if applicants in the gold and silver groups are interested in investing or doing business in Malaysia, the department will make further adjustment depending on the situation, including assisting in applying for the required permits from the relevant departments.
5. MM2H agency has a higher threshold and strict conditions?
Mr Cheung replied that the ministry had received too many complaints from MM2H applicants in the past, including industry problems such as intermediaries losing contact after being charged, applicants paying high intermediary fees but not being able to obtain permits, and repeated resale of intermediary licences, which had caused MM2H's reputation to plummet.
Set a registration threshold to ensure intermediary conditions
To this end, he said that the Ministry of Tourism has set a registration threshold for MM2H intermediaries in the new framework to ensure that licensed intermediaries have the qualified strength and financial resources, thereby enhancing the credibility and responsibility of intermediaries.
He believes that the measures will further prevent MM2H applicants from suffering losses in all aspects due to unscrupulous intermediaries in the process, protect the rights and interests of both parties, and effectively enhance applicants' confidence in the MM2H scheme.
6. Why do intermediaries need to pay a high bank guarantee of RM200,000?
Teo explained that if the Ministry of Tourism receives a complaint and finds that an intermediary has levied fees that exceed the prescribed range, the agent's licence will be revoked and the RM200,000 bank guarantee will be used to reimburse the excess fees imposed on MM2H applicants.
7. How to avoid bad intermediaries?
Zhang Qingxin stressed that at present, the Ministry of Tourism is improving the relevant regulations and will announce them as soon as possible, including that all MM2H intermediaries can only levy a certain percentage of fees at most before the customer successfully applies for the MM2H pass, such as only 20% of the total intermediary service fee as a deposit.
8. The property purchased by the MM2H participant cannot be resold for 10 years?
He said that the value of the property purchased by MM2H participants must meet the minimum threshold set by each group and cannot be resold for a period of 10 years, unless the applicant wants to purchase a new property within the 10-year period, in which case the resale of the original property is allowed, provided that the value of the new property purchased is higher than the value of the original property at the time of purchase.
(For example, if the property purchased by an applicant in the Platinum Group is RM2 million, the new property to be upgraded must be higher than RM2 million.)
Children are not allowed to enrol in government primary and secondary schools
9. Are the children of MM2H participants unable to attend primary and secondary schools in the government system?
Teo said that the children of MM2H program participants are not able to enroll in primary and secondary schools in the government system, but can choose to attend international schools or study at Malaysia Higher Education Institutions (IPT) accredited by the Malaysia government.
10. Will the new MM2H framework continue the common problem of overnight changes in the past, and will it be full of uncertainties?
He stressed that the Special Committee on the Malaysia Second Home Programme has made it clear that the MM2H framework and ordinances implemented in this auction will not be repeatedly revised with
changes in the political situation or cabinet reshuffle.
He said that this is why the Ministry of Tourism needs to spend a lot of time to review the imperfections of MM2H applications in the past, and make corrections and improvements, so that applicants can have more confidence in the MM2H scheme.
Mr Cheung explained that the new regulations are undoubtedly aimed at salvaging the MM2H program's international reputation and addressing a long-standing issue that has led to a gradual loss of confidence among applicants around the world. In addition, he also implored people not to "pick bones in the egg" and make unnecessary hype about this.
News from Sin Chew Daily
05 Sep 2024
