SABAH will now have the authority to appoint its own agents for the state’s version of the Malaysia MySecond Home (MM2H) programme.
The federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has officially given authority to the state for the implementation of the Sabah-Malaysia MySecond Home (Sabah-MM2H) programme.
Initially, Sabah could only appoint "qualified representatives" to process the applications.
Motac Secretary-General Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman handed over the letter of intent to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment's Permanent Secretary Josie Lai Mei Sing at the state ministry office today. The handover was witnessed by state Tourism Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
"This delegation of power pertains to the appointment of agents by KePKAS, the monitoring of the agents, and the enforcement of the programme. KePKAS has its own guidelines for the appointment and licensing of agents. These agents must obtain a licence to operate and assist clients in applying for participation in the Sabah-MM2H programme. The State Cabinet has approved the terms and conditions for participation," Liew said, adding that any future reviews will be referred to the Cabinet for approval.
The Sabah-MM2H programme, launched in June 2024, offers a 10-year renewable visa to expatriates and retirees.
The State Committee oversees the operations of Sabah-MM2H, including screening applications before issuing MM2H passes to successful applicants.
"We (KePKAS) are in the process of accepting and processing applications from qualified agents for the necessary appointments," Liew added.
The Sabah-MM2H programme was approved in principle by the State Government in February 2023 and officially launched on 30 June this year.
During the meeting on Wednesday, Roslan called for future trilateral discussions between Motac, KePKAS, and Sarawak's tourism ministry to address any issues arising from the implementation of MM2H in Sabah and Sarawak.
"This initiative is aimed at fostering a good working relationship," he said.
Also present were Motac Undersecretary (Tourism Licensing and Enforcement Division) Surya Kumar Subramaniam, KePKAS Deputy Permanent Secretary I Mary Malangking, Deputy Permanent Secretary II Alesia Sion, MOTAC Sabah Director Ibrahim Othman and KePKAS Senior Assistant Secretary Norita Tani. – August 28, 2024.
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