What are the key differences between the Sarawak government's S-MM2H program vs the MM2H program? Although both programs are offered in Malaysia, there are some key differences. You may also be wondering why they are two separate programs. This is because Sarawak is a special region within Malaysia with its own control over immigration matters. The S-MM2H program is offered by the Sarawak Tourism Board, while the MM2H program is offered by Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, a federal ministry.
What are the key differences?
| S-MM2H | MM2H |
Location | Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia | Peninsular Malaysia only |
Fixed Deposit Requirements | Individual: RM150,000 Couple: RM300,000 | RM1,000,000 (currently undergoing 1 year testing period with Gold category starting at only RM500,000 FD) |
Monthly Offshore Income | Individual: RM7,000 Couple: RM10,000 | RM40,000 |
Length of pass | 5 years + 5 years | 5 years + 5 years |
Permission to work | Application for endorsement required | Application for endorsement required |
Age eligibility | From 30 years old | From 30 years old (starting in 2023) |
Minimum house purchase value | RM600,000 in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu; or RM500,000 in other divisions | In most states in Peninsular, a minimum threshold of RM1,000,000 is required |
Minimum stay requirements | 30 days annually in Sarawak | 60 days annually in Peninsular Malaysia (starting in 2023) |
The key differences between the S-MM2H run by the Sarawak government and the MM2H program run by the Federal government is the fixed deposit requirements and the monthly offshore income requirements. There has been a sharp rise in the popularity of the S-MM2H program, due to the significant changes in the MM2H program in the last few years. Back in 2020, the monthly income requirements of the MM2H program was only RM10,000 monthly. It has now increased to RM40,000 monthly, after a long pause during the pandemic.
The Sarawak government however, decided not to follow in the footsteps of the Federal government and maintained the requirements of its own S-MM2H program. Additionally, the Sarawak government also continued accepting applications throughout the pandemic. That level of continuity and trust was key to retaining the trust of long term stay applicants, who are investing a significant amount of their personal savings to live in Malaysia.
What about the approval rates?
Between November 2021 and September 2023, the federal MM2H program received a total number of 2164 MM2H applications, of which 1905 or 88% of those applications have been approved. While in 2023 alone, the Sarawak government is set to approve 700 applications. Since 2021, the S-MM2H program has received a 25x increase in interest. Prior to this, the S-MM2H applications only made up an insignificant portion of the federal MM2H program, but now it rivals the federal MM2H program in terms of applications and interests.
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What are the documents required?
There are two categories of S-MM2H applications. Namely, for those above 50 and those aged between 30 and 49 years old.
From the Sarawak Tourism Board's official guidelines, which can also be found on https://smm2h.sarawaktourism.com/
From the Sarawak Tourism Board's official guidelines, which can also be found on https://smm2h.sarawaktourism.com/
The financial proof documents required are as follow
From the Sarawak Tourism Board's official guidelines, which can also be found on https://smm2h.sarawaktourism.com/
Other supporting documents required are as follow
From the Sarawak Tourism Board's official guidelines, which can also be found on https://smm2h.sarawaktourism.com/
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