fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
21st Feb 2024

Malaysia opens new post-study visa option for degree graduates

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
  • Malaysia has introduced a package of visa reforms under its new Visa Liberalisation Plan
  • The initiatives include a new Graduate Pass that allows degree graduates (and their dependents) to stay on in Malaysia for up to a year to further their studies, travel, or work part-time
  • The move comes amid a shifting competitive dynamic that sees Malaysia poised to earn a greater share of the international student market this year

Effective 1 December 2023, Malaysia introduced a package of new visa settings designed to make it easier for visitors and students to enter the country. The Visa Liberalisation Plan eases visa requirements in a range of areas, including a 30-day visa exemption for visitors from China and India, a "multiple entry visa" mechanism that allows travellers to enter and exit the country for a stay of up to 30 days, and an extension of the validity period for visitor visas from three months to six months.

Most relevant to foreign students, the liberalisation plan features a new Graduate Pass (also known as the Social Visit Pass) that allows graduates of Malaysian degree programmes (bachelor or higher) to remain in the country for up to a year after graduation. Students are permitted to continue their studies, travel, or work part-time during that year.

Education Malaysia details the application process and eligibility requirements for the new Social Visit Pass.

Those guidelines include that students must have a valid passport valid for at least the next 18 months, maintain their health insurance while in Malaysia, and to have a Malaysian citizen acting as a sponsor.

Perhaps most importantly, the Social Visit Pass/Graduate Pass is only available to students from the following 23 countries: Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, United States, Oman, and Bahrain.

The Social Visit Pass is also available to accompanying dependents of degree graduates in Malaysia. To be eligible for a Social Visit Pass (Dependent Graduate Pass), the accompanying family member must meet similar provisions with respect to passport validity, health insurance, and a local sponsor.

Please consult the official guidance at Education Malaysia for full details of the new Graduate Pass option.

These latest initiatives have been introduced in the wider context of Malaysia's goal to build its foreign enrolment to 250,000 students by 2025, whereas media reports put the total at between 130,000 and 170,000 students for 2022.

Education Malaysia does not report on foreign enrolment as such, but it does provide quarterly updates on the number of new international student applications. Those releases indicate that application volumes were up just over 18% for the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

Given the current turmoil with respect to enrolment caps, visa processing, and other substantive policy change in some of the leading English-speaking destinations, other important regional designations, including Malaysia and New Zealand, are expected to gain a greater share of the international student market this year.

For additional background, please see:

"Southeast Asian students increasingly considering 'studying abroad' closer to home"

"Malaysia exceeds target for new international student applications in 2022"

Most Recent

  • How to improve your communications with prospective international students Read More
  • US: International education sector braces as a second Trump presidency takes shape Read More
  • Canada aims for more international Francophone students across the country Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US: International education sector braces as a second Trump presidency takes shape The first time Donald Trump was president of the United States, he implemented a ban on travel to...
Read more
Canada aims for more international Francophone students across the country France remains the top destination in the world for international students to learn French and to study in...
Read more
Canada announces international student enrolment cap levels for 2025 The Canadian government has just released information about its target caps for study permit issuance for 2025 and...
Read more
European destinations attracting more international students amid continuing housing challenges Many European countries have welcomed more students than ever over the past few years (e.g., Germany, France, Spain,...
Read more
A big-picture view of international student mobility for secondary studies International education takes shape in a number of different ways across the K-12 sector. There is the burgeoning...
Read more
Tracking the internationalisation goals for 10 leading destinations The following article is adapted from the 2025 edition of ICEF Insights magazine, which is freely available to...
Read more
Foreign enrolment in Spanish higher education reached a record high in 2022/23 Following strong growth in the 2021/22 academic year, the number of international students in Spanish universities reached a...
Read more
US updates rules to expand flexibility and improve oversight for H-1B visa programme    Just days before Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President on 20 January 2025, President Biden’s administration has issued...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links