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Australian visa outcomes for citizens from Malaysia

How does the Department of Home Affairs treat visa applications from Malaysia? See real processing times, approval rates, and what your citizenship means for your application.

Your country score

50

/ 100
Medium risk
Compared against 173 countriesHow is this calculated?
How fast are applications processed?About average speedRanked #92 of 173 countries
What are the approval odds?87% of applications are approvedGlobal average: 92%Somewhat less likely than average
How many people from Malaysia apply?
Ranked #29 of 173 countries (84th percentile)

What this means for you

Applications from your country take about the same time as most other nationalities.
Approval rates for your country are lower than most, which means you'll face more scrutiny.
You'll need strong, consistent evidence and careful preparation to give yourself the best chance.
A well-prepared application can still succeed. We've helped many applicants from higher-risk countries get approved by focusing on what case officers actually look for.

Which visa do Malaysia passport holders need?

Visiting AustraliaMalaysia passport holders use the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA, subclass 601), applied for through the Australian ETA app. Tern doesn't currently process this visa type.
Government charge: AUD $20.
Working holidayMalaysia passport holders qualify for the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), open to applicants aged 18 to 30. Each year, the government sets a fixed number of places for Malaysia, called a country cap.The cap is temporarily paused, which has nothing to do with your application. Tern checks the government system every 2 hours, about 12 times a day, holds your finished application ready, and submits it automatically the moment the cap reopens. No refreshing a government page yourself, no racing anyone to submit first.
Government charge: from AUD $840. Tern prepares and submits it for AUD $170.
Looking for a partner, student, or skilled visa instead? See all Australian visas
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Processing times vary significantly based on your citizenship and location. Find out what the wait really looks like for someone like you.
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How your citizenship affects Australian visa outcomes

Why your nationality matters

The Department of Home Affairs doesn't treat all applications equally. Your country of citizenship affects both how long you'll wait and how likely you are to be approved. This isn't random. It reflects historical compliance rates, the volume of applications from each country, and how complex it is to verify documents and claims.

Understanding the country score

The country score ranks your citizenship against all other nationalities based on two factors: processing speed and approval rates. Approval rates are weighted more heavily because that's ultimately what matters most. Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores meaning faster processing and better approval odds compared to other countries.

Where this data comes from

Our reports are based exclusively on official government data obtained through Freedom of Information requests to the Australian Department of Home Affairs: visa refusal rates (FOI Reference DA24/02/00115) and processing times (FOI Reference DA25/10/00449). We calibrate this data monthly against the Department's published processing times to keep it current.

What this means for Malaysia citizens

With a country score of 50, applicants from Malaysia experience average outcomes compared to other nationalities. Processing times are about the same than average compared to other countries applying for the same visa types. The approval rate for Malaysia is 87%, which is 6% lower than the global average.

Compare other countries

Curious how other nationalities are treated? Use our Country Risk tool to explore visa outcomes for any country.

Want to understand this better?

For a deep dive into how country risk works, what the Department considers, and how nationality affects your visa journey, read our comprehensive guide to country risk.