
Malaysia Approves 22,000 Residency Applications Over Past Decade
Chinese applicants dominated MM2H approvals, followed by South Koreans, Japanese, Bangladeshis and Britons.
Applicants may qualify for residence permits with durations from 5 years to permanent by depositing amounts ranging from MYR 500,000 to MYR 5 million in Malaysian banks.
Up to half of this deposit may be withdrawn by the applicant specifically for purposes of buying a home in Malaysia or to pay for healthcare or education.
As of October 2023, MM2H applicants can choose between three different tiers, each of which requires the deposit of a certain amount in a Malaysian bank for the duration of the visa.
In each case, up to half of the deposit may be withdrawn to pay for education, health care or buying a house. If buying a house, the minimum home price must be MYR 750,000 (Silver and Gold tiers) or MYR 1.5 million (Platinum).
In each case, the following additional terms apply:
The MM2H program generally does not offer a path to citizenship. In some circumstances, Malaysia may accept requests for naturalization from individuals who have physically resided in the country for 10 of the preceding 12 years and who have “an adequate knowledge of the Malay language.”
Note that Malaysia does not permit dual citizenship.
Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.
Applications for this program may be directed to Immigration Department of Malaysia.
Legislation upon which this program is based Section 64 and 65 of Immigration Act 1959/63 [Act 155].

Chinese applicants dominated MM2H approvals, followed by South Koreans, Japanese, Bangladeshis and Britons.

New security protocols require international background checks and intelligence screening for all MM2H applicants.

Malaysia roundup: MM2H fraud case, Sabah opens streamlined processing center, and government highlights billions from foreign residents.
See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.