The increased requirements seem reasonable to me. Interesting to note the number of users from countries around the world -

https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/245071/sarawak-to-tighten-s-mm2h-entry-rules-starting-jan-1-adds-fixed-deposit-residency-requirements-says-state-minister/

I disagree. The increase in fees are going to drive out many earlier recipients who have to reapply after their ten-year visa expires. Many came when all the had to demonstrate was a pension or foreign income of RM7000/month (@$1700). The new rules do not grandfather those with a current SMM2H with their original conditions. So that means someone on a fixed pension has to come up not only with additional sources of offshore income (a minimum of ten years AFTER they retired) but also Rm500,000 for a Fixed Deposit.

Clearly these officialscare not retired! There will be huge levels of attention from the program. And that does include those who re applying now a don't meet that "High Net Worth" Individual profile.

Most of those original applicants actually reside in Sarawak and thus put their liquid assets earned abroad into the local economy. But someone who stays only a month a year. They will only put that month of tourist spending into the economy. A long-stay resident spends 12 months spending in Sarawak. So they are "worth" ten to twelve times the amount of revenue into the pockets of Sarawakians Vs. someone offshoring. Even worse, since the short term visitor is not buying a local property, car, healthcare, tuition they are simply gaining intetest. When they leave the program all that Rm500,000 will be taken back out of the country. A fixed deposit restricts how much money a retiree can use for day-to-day spending. So Sarawak may losing all the money that those who no longer qualify will take out when they leave.

Plus there is going to be a lot of ill will generated about the program, especially by people who bought a property/car, who had their kids grow up here, who have built lifetime friendships and relationships with locals and now must leave.

Even the Peninsula allows a "grandfathering" of original terms ...they don't brequire a complete new application.

There are other nasty clauses in the new rules. They don't allow a recent widow from transferring the visa from the spouse to herself and her kids. Not even enough time to work through probate or allow students to finish the school year. These clauses were put into the SMM2H Letters of Conditional Approval after the November 2022 election at the behest of the Federal government. Now they are up-front in the description of the program.

The Peninsular MM2H allows both. This looks just downright cruel.

It's true that the original and 202O revised MM2H brought a diversity of new applicants to THOSE programs. That indicates people are happy with THOSE conditions (especially compared to what has happened to MM2H)...but it doesn't mean approval of the new program.

In fact a survey of S-MM2H applicants and recipients showed resounding disappointment with the new conditions with almost all people saying they would reapply, apply, or would wait until the year their visa came up for renewal to decide. That's hardly a resounding approval of the changes.