The announcement of new conditions for the most popular residence and retirement visas has sparked mixed emotions among foreigners looking to move or extend their stay in Malaysia. With its sunny climate, famous cuisine, and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous influences, many foreigners are drawn to this Southeast Asian country and call it their "second home. " When I felt relaxed, I breathed a sigh of relief, Introduced (MM2H). However, despite waiting anxiously for nearly a year for clarification on the system changes, some potential applicants are still wondering if they will need to meet certain income and asset limits when applying. We were disappointed to see that key details were not mentioned in the announcement earlier this month, such as whether people would have to meet the conditions. This includes people over the age of 50. “The new rules open up the visa programme to a lot more people although a few things are still to be clarified,” Andy Davison, the CEO of expat-focused publisher TEG Media, told Al Jazeera. “High on the list is the required monthly income which is the biggest single obstacle for most people wanting to apply for the existing MM2H visa.” The MM2H programme, which originally offered foreigners the chance to live in Malaysia for up to 10 years subject to certain wealth and investment requirements, approved some 57,000 applications in the first 16 years after its launch in 2002. But since 2018, the scheme has been under a constant state of “evaluation”, only to be suspended altogether in 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis and ensuing border closures. The programme was revived in 2021 with tightened regulations that required applicants to have a monthly income of at least 40,000 Malaysian ringgit ($8,662) – up from 10,000 ringgit ($2,165) previously – pricing most applicants, especially retirees, out of consideration. In the two years following the change, the programme saw applications decline by 90 percent. The changes announced by Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing on December 13 appear to make MM2H a more realistic option for the average expat. Under the revised programme, the visa will be open to applicants aged at least 30, compared with 35 previously. Whereas MM2H eligibility was previously based on a fixed deposit of 1 million ringgit ($216,567), applicants will now have the choice of opting for a fixed deposit of 500,000 ringgit ($108,283), 2 million ringgit ($433,135) or 5 million ringgit ($1,082,837) based on three tiers – Silver, Gold and Platinum. The Silver and Gold tiers offer five-year and 15-year residency, while the Platinum tier touts eligibility for permanent residency – a difficult status to achieve in Malaysia. MM2H visa holders will be required to spend a minimum of 60 days in the country, compared with 90 previously – a condition that may also be fulfilled by dependents such as a spouse or children. “The objective is to simplify the often-criticised MM2H application procedures by introducing more flexibility and clarity,” Tiong said in a statement, adding that the revisions announced so far were preliminary and the final eligibility requirements would be announced in stages. Tiong’s announcement did not refer to any income or asset requirements or state a precise implementation date for the changes. “I agree with what the Minister has said that the new criteria are indeed simpler and clearer,” Sam Choong, a Penang-based lawyer who deals with immigration matters, told Al Jazeera. “Hopefully, the previous high onerous proof of monthly income will not come back in the implementation stage as a form of unwritten practice to screen applicants for their financial standing when applications are considered.” Choong said he is “optimistic” that the government will not reintroduce prohibitive requirements for the visa. “Bank statements and letters of good conduct may still be necessary during the pre-screening process to show the applicants have the means to look after themselves without being a drain on our country, but the old financial threshold is unlikely to be used,” he said. “It would seem from the latest announced guidelines that it is now fulfilled via the respective fixed deposits.”