Sticking point/s of MM2H program

[HIDDEN]

My biggest fear about MM2H visa is what happen when one day your visa is up for renewal and you have found that the rules have changed and you are no longer eligible. I think I mentioned that once before and received some reassurance from Scott and other members.

However, if you lived here for awhile and called Malaysia home, it will be agony to have to return back to home country to resettle especially as one is getting a bit further along in age. I remembered arriving in Sydney and thinking that it was a quaint and beautiful town. That was back in the early 1980s but 15 years later, I would have given my eye teeth to move to Perth. However, I left it too late because daughter was in her late teens by then and refused to move. 

Would welcome some feedback/thoughts/opinions on this issue and others I would like to raise.

Cheers

[HIDDEN]

Hi Cupert
Just a question, are you freespirit on another forum? its just that you ask nearly the same questions as them?
Just an observation.
Regards Martin

[HIDDEN]

Nahhhhh! just someone who thinks and posted like me. 

I like her topic so much that I thought I carried it to this forum. 

[HIDDEN]

hi,

A nod's as good as a wink  to a blind man, huh? 

[HIDDEN]

hi,

A nod's as good as a wink  to a blind man, huh? 

LOL!

Just saw this article:

Comfortable city living needs big bucks.

To live in Sydney and be comfortable you need an annual salary of about $100,000 and an inner city or beachside home close to work, the city's residents believe.

A survey of the opinions of 304 Sydneysiders shows living near the harbour or CBD is a top priority, even though affordability is falling.

"Sydney is still very much a harbour and beach city with a clear attraction to regions of Sydney near the water or close to the CDB, but it's a dream that's slipping away," the head of the Sydney Business Chamber Patricia Forsythe said.

The survey conducted for the chamber shows 60 per cent of respondents believe living in the nation's biggest city is less affordable than a year ago while a further 16 per cent say it's "very unaffordable".

Rents and mortgage payments were unaffordable or very unaffordable for 54 per cent.

But most - 68 per cent - still want to live in the pricey eastern suburbs, trendy inner west, beautiful northern beaches or upmarket north shore.

Only 27 per cent want to live in the vibrant and family-minded western, north west, south and south west suburbs.

And 85 per cent think an individual needs to earn at least $50,000 and as much as $150,000 to live comfortably in the nation's biggest city.

"The challenge for the government is to deliver more affordable housing in these areas and also to make the outer suburbs more attractive through job creation and cutting commuting times to employment areas," Ms Forsythe said.

Some 90 per cent of Sydneysiders catch public transport to get to work - a tiny one per cent use a bicycle - with most taking about 40 minutes to make a one-way journey.

According to Residex, the median two to three bedroom Sydney house price is $651,000, against $462,000 for London and $460,000 in New York.

The average annual salary for a working Australian is about $66,000, Australian Bureau of Statistics data show.

The latest Sydney Business Chamber Citypoll survey was conducted online.

Perhaps there is no sticking point to the MM2H visa after all. Too expensive to live here especially if you are a self funded retiree.

[HIDDEN]

hi,

I really don't think that there is a sticking point for the MM2H visa. There's a number of things that could be modified to improve. All of these from an end-users point of view, of course. They're list and discussed at : MM2H Moving Forward

However, on a slightly different tack what I think happened is that the government got a shock at the end of 2006 with the hankypankygate, and the still undisclosed events with something to do with corruption within either Immigration or Tourism. It was the then Minister of Tourism who expressed shock at what had been discovered.

Whatever it was I think that it generated a change of attitude towards the programme. Or, maybe, consolidated an ongoing change. In 2004 the top countries were Bangladesh and China. And top by a massive margin. Then came hankypankygate and participants from both these countries shrank, a lot.

In 2006/2007 proof/details became more important and was solved by having more stringent financial requirements. The lien letter was introduced. I think that it overshot what was needed, all in the interests of cutting down on the chances of corruption, and cutting down the need for Immigration/MoTour to check. And it helps if the blame for something going wrong falls onto someone else (Letter of Good Conduct).

Overall though IMO it's a great offer. I think that it just needs a bit more user-friendliness. I assume that Bernie Madoff would have been able to get a Letter of Good Conduct.

Having written this it can be pointed out that Singapore's long-term 5-year stay application also needs loads of documentation and proof of finances. But then there was never any easier version against which to contrast.

And for the ultimate in bureaucratic requirements then the UK must take the cake for simply getting into the country, and getting LTR and ILR. By comparison, and having done both (mm2h for me, LTR & ILR helping someone else) the mm2h wins hands down for simplicity, ease, and it cost a lot less.



PS : I've just noticed that the glossary highlights seem to be dodgy. So LTR = Extended Leave to Remain, & ILR = Indefinite Leave to Remain.

[HIDDEN]

hi,

On the question of policy changes that may be implemented when you come to renew your visa. The Ministry of Tourism has stated that the terms & conditions of issuing the original visa are those that will be adhered to for renewal.

Of course, governments throughout the world change policies without the slightest regard for what was previously said, or for the situation of the individual.

However since the inception of this scheme as the Silver-Haired Programme in 1996, the Malaysian government has stuck to the renew on what you got concept.

Here's a story that may be instructive. A guy that I know who has lived in Malaysia for at least 20 years on the 90-Day visa, plus the odd return to Oz, is still doing the visa trip via Satun every 4 or 5 months. He's 70 if he's a day. There is never usually a problem provided he stays out of Malaysia for 5 days. It's 3 nights, 1 day to go in, 1 day to come out = 5 days.

We all think that he's now achieved "grandad" status. And that as long as he can get himself in and out, walking, stroller, wheelchair or stretcher, he'll be Ok.

The final way out will be a coffin and, mercifully, no visa or tickets are needed no matter which direction you're headed.

[HIDDEN]

Scott

Thanks for the explanation and reassurance. Security is a big thing for me. I suppose it is due to all those years of wandering around, living in different parts of the world in my younger years and not feeling that you belong. Returning back to Malaysia made me feel a stranger due to the culture shock as well as not being able to relate to family and friends. If you are a chatterbox as well, it can be murder.   

Hmmm, now you got me intrigued. I got to look into the hankypankygate and the Silver-Haired programme. 

[HIDDEN]

I believe most states which welcome retirees don't do so out of a sense of philanthropy; they have such programmes for the financial benefits they presume the target retirees will bring. Seems to me that the target definitions must always understandably include financial security requirements. The better off the country, often the more rigourous the requirements e.g. OZ. My view is that the financial requirements will inevitably rise as Malaysia's developement progresses so that there can never be any doubt that foreign retirees are not in competition with locals for services and accommodation. I believe this is correct for Malaysia so long as it does not price itself out of the market and looking at the regional competition I do not believe this is in danger anytime soon. Malaysia offers a romanised script language, a workable level of English in a reasonable portion of the population, good medicare at competitive pricing, a wide range of housing for rent (or purchase if you can pay for this privilege), gorgeous weather for slowing metabolisms and friendly locals. Can the MM2H be improved, sure, but in my opinion is already very attractive without any major sticking points. I would prefer it if they could streamline the application process but then again a wide spectrum of application approaches are available depending on the preference/wealth of the applicant from self-applications to full-service agents. All these approaches seem to work as the presence of members with MM2H status seems to indicate. Can't wait till my time rolls up! Cheers RMG