Sarawak approved 287 applications under its S-MM2H second-home programme from January to September 2026, covering 490 participants from 31 countries and territories. Applications and participants are separate counts, not interchangeable totals.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said approved applications had brought RM143.5 million in fixed deposits by September, alongside RM1.49 million in processing fees. The figures were reported on Oct 20. Fixed deposits are not the same as fee revenue or visitor spending, so adding them together would misrepresent the programme’s income.
The deposit figure compares with RM146.9 million for the whole of 2025, when processing fees totalled RM1.04 million. The current figures cover nine months rather than a completed year; they do not yet establish the final annual deposit total.
China accounted for 118 approved applications, or 41.1 per cent, followed by the United States with 28, Taiwan with 19 and the United Kingdom with 18. These are shares of applications, not a nationality breakdown of all 490 participants. The programme is intended to attract long-term residents to Sarawak. This update reports approvals and associated financial figures; it does not announce revised eligibility rules or show how many participants are already living in Kuching.