‘Malaysia, a second home for Pakistanis’

LAHORE – “If you are worried about the future of your offspring or afraid of the security situation, Malaysia could be an excellent resettlement option. The Malaysian government has introduced the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme that offers extremely attractive living and working opportunities to foreigners.”
These remarks were made by Sesh Haider (Pvt) Ltd Director Salman Haider, while speaking to Pakistan Today in an interview. Elaborating on the MM2H programme, Haider underlined that it was neither an immigration programme nor a permanent residency initiative. However, he added, it was an attractive alternate option available for people who wanted to live and work abroad. He clarified that although the MM2H programme was not a new effort, it had not been properly marketed in Pakistan.
Earlier it was promoted by government agencies, but it did not receive due attention in Pakistan. He said Sesh Haider (Pvt) Ltd was a registered consultancy firm, which was simultaneously operating in Malaysia and Pakistan for the promotion of the MM2H programme. Responding to a question, Haider said that most Pakistanis wanted to settle abroad, especially in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia, but were reluctant to apply for immigration owing to long queues. In addition, people are unsure of economic and employment conditions in the Western countries. He indicated that after the recent financial crisis, the unemployment rate and economic conditions has deteriorated in these countries and added that in contrast to the West, the MM2H programme offers swift processing as most cases were settled in 45 days if documentation had been completed properly.
He stressed that the MM2H was the right programme for Pakistanis who wanted to enjoy peaceful living, a vibrant business environment, rich Islamic heritage, world class education options and above all the luxury they enjoy in Pakistan. He pointed out that Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and witnessed record growth of 10.1 percent in 2010. Quoting different economic indicators, Haider underlined that it was ranked 38th in terms of security, 21st in ease of doing business, it is the 27th most networked country and 29th in terms of purchasing power parity and GDP growth. Speaking on the MM2H criterion, Haider disclosed that unlike Canada and other western countries, Malaysia’s MM2H programme did not have any requirement for certain education or age limit. Anyone could apply for the MM2H programme who had access to extra savings.
He indicated that the Malaysian government did not ask foreigners to invest in Malaysia, but ask them to keep their savings in Malaysia for the period you avail MM2H programme. He said that for MM2H programme one had to deposit some 300,000 ringgit or 150,000 ringgit in any bank in Malaysia, of which 50 percent could be withdrawn after one year. The banks would offer mark-up on deposits and investment would remain 100 percent secure. He stated that under the MM2H programme Malaysia offers a 10-year visa to foreigner, which could be renewed afterwards on a nominal fee. Touching upon the business opportunities in Malaysia, he said, tourism and hotel were the booming businesses. In addition, manufacturing, trading and service sectors had a great deal of unlocked potential for foreign businessmen as Malaysia was located at the heart of South East Asia.