35,381 applications for M'sia My Second Home approved: Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR: From its inception in 2002 till July 2017, a total of 35,381 applications from 127 nations had been approved for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme with applications from China outnumbering the rest.
Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said out of the total number approved, 8,714 or 37 percent of the total were applicants from China.
"This was followed by 4,225 applicants from Japan, Bangladesh (3,546), United Kingdom (2,412), Iran (1,336), Singapore (1,295), Taiwan (1,208), Republic of Korea (1,266), Pakistan (973) and India (890).
"The MM2H Programme has led Malaysia to be ranked Number 6, in 2017 as the World's Best Retirement Haven and the only Asian country to qualify for this position according to the online portal, 'International Living'.
"Apart from that, The Japan Longstay Foundation also nominated Malaysia as the top choice destination for the Japanese since 2006 and the 'World's Top Country With the Best Healthcare in 2017' ranked by CNBC too," he said during the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Tourism and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Malaysia (ICBC) here, today.
The MoU, which was signed by MOTAC Deputy Secretary-General Nor Yahati Awang and ICBC Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Wang Qiangi is to promote MM2H in China.
Mohamed Nazri, who witnessed the signing ceremony, said as an official partner bank ICBC Group could promote MM2H programme in China, especially in Beijing, Guangdong province, Shanghai, Sichuan province and Zhejiang besides promoting worldwide.
"With this MoU, I am pleased to note that ICBC together with its group of companies decided to act as a conduit or facilitator between the Government and the Bank's customers to promote the MM2H programme ," he said.
Applicants for the MM2H programme must be 50 years and above, have a clean record in their home country when it comes to security or crime and has a strong financial standing.
The programme was introduced in 2002 to attract foreigners to come and stay in Malaysia, especially those who have already retired or some for business purposes as well. — Bernama