35,381 applications received to date, says Nazri
KUALA LUMPUR: From its inception in 2002 until July this year, 35,381 applications from 127 nations have 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 8,714 or 37 per cent of applicants were from China.
“This was followed by 4,225 applicants from Japan, Bangladesh (3,546), the 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 No. 6, this year as the World’s Best Retirement Haven and the only Asian country to enter the list according to online portal International Living.
“The Japan Longstay Foundation nominated Malaysia as the top choice destination for the Japanese since 2006. Malaysia is also the‘ World’ s Top Country With the Best Healthcare in 2017’, as ranked by CNBC,” he said during the sign- ing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Tourism and Culture Ministry and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Malaysia (ICBC) here yesterday.
The MoU, which was signed by the ministry’s deputy secretary-general, Nor Yahati Awang, and ICBC Malaysia chief executive officer Wang Qiangi is to promote MM2H in China.
Nazri said as an official partner bank, ICBC Group could promote the programme in China.
“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.”
Applicants for the MM2H programme must be 50 years and above, have a clean security and crime record in their home country and are financially stable.
The programme was introduced in 2002 to attract foreigners, especially those who have retired, to come and stay in Malaysia. Bernama