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

  • The four key trends that will shape international student mobility for the next decade Read More
  • China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships Read More
  • France reports more than 443,000 international students in higher education for 2024/25 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

China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships As with most statistics about China, the latest higher education figures are a little dizzying. Enrolment in the...
Read more
France reports more than 443,000 international students in higher education for 2024/25 The latest data release from Campus France reports a record-high foreign enrolment in the country. There were 443,500...
Read more
Foreign enrolment in Canadian K-12 held steady in 2024/25 International student enrolment in public school boards in Canada declined marginally this year. The latest data from the...
Read more
Global student satisfaction survey highlights growing attention to career services The 2025 Global Student Satisfaction Awards were announced this week, and they provide some important indicators of student...
Read more
OECD tracks global student flows to developed market-based economies The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is an inter-governmental organisation made up of 38 member countries....
Read more
UK ELT reports declining enrolments for first half of 2025 Extending the global pattern reported for 2024 of declining English language learning enrolments, English UK’s quarterly reporting for...
Read more
Global ELT volumes dipped in 2024 Globally, the ELT sector gave back some hard-won, post-pandemic gains in 2024. An annual study of eight top...
Read more
New analysis forecasts marginal growth for foreign enrolment in Australia through 2030 In the five years leading up to the pandemic, Australia’s foreign enrolment grew at an average of 10%...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links