Since Australia reopened its borders, many of our Malaysian friends have been applying for the Australian Subclass 601 ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) — the electronic travel authorisation widely discussed in the community. Previously, ETA approval rates were very high; out of ten applicants, nine would typically be granted a one-year visa, with only one being unsuccessful.
The application process was extremely straightforward — usually completed through a travel agent or manually online — and the fees were very affordable (between MYR 30 and MYR 50).
But that changed after the pandemic — the process and assessment are now very different.
You now need to download the Australia ETA app on your phone, fill in your details, scan your passport, and complete a facial recognition check. A visa decision is typically returned within 15–20 minutes of submitting the application. The current application fee is AUD 20.
Furthermore, assessments are now considerably stricter. What we are seeing is that very few applicants are approved outright — the majority receive almost identical responses (please see the screenshot below): “Application unable to be processed — please provide additional documents.”
Many applicants panic when they see this outcome. The notification does outline the steps and specifies which additional documents are required, and you can simply follow those steps to submit — but many wonder: if the required materials are the same for everyone, why do some applicants still fail to gain approval even after providing them?
To help applicants provide compelling supporting documents and improve their chances of approval, here are our key recommendations:
-First, applicants should provide a genuine personal statement — a declaration of intent explaining the purpose of their visit and demonstrating the genuine nature of their short-term stay. This should include flight and accommodation bookings, a travel itinerary, or contact details of relatives or friends in Australia;
-If a partner is applying at the same time, we recommend including their details in the statement as well;
-Applicants may provide bank statements (showing at least three months of salary deposits);
-Applicants must provide proof of employment (an employment letter and payslips); self-employed applicants should include business documents (such as a business licence, and financial records such as bank statements or tax returns);
-If you have a current enrolment certificate or any other evidence demonstrating ties to your home country, that can also be included.
Visitor Visa: Also Worth Considering
The document requirements above are broadly similar to those for an Australian Subclass 600 visitor visa. If an ETA application is unsuccessful, applicants can also try for a Subclass 600 (Visitor visa), which is priced slightly higher at AUD 145 for applications lodged from outside Australia.
The key difference between the Subclass 600 visa and the ETA is that the 600 is assessed by a migration officer personally — unlike the ETA, where results are generated automatically by the system. The biggest advantage of this type of application is that you can include a covering letter explaining your purpose for visiting Australia, giving applicants a far more comprehensive opportunity to present their case to the visa officer.
Visas are generally granted for 3, 6, or 12 months.
Prepare Thoroughly Before Applying
Applicants should be aware that there is no right of appeal for applications lodged from outside Australia. If a visa is genuinely refused, the application fee is also non-refundable. We strongly recommend that all applicants prepare thorough supporting documentation in advance, and note that there is also a possibility of being contacted by telephone as part of the assessment process.
Work and Study: Legal (Full-Time) Work Rights + Initial Visa of 1–3 Years (Renewable)
Beyond the ETA and Subclass 600 visa, applicants under 25 may also consider the work-and-study visa pathway. This visa allows you to study in Australia (with a wide range of programmes available, including business management, early childhood education, cookery, and massage therapy) while holding full legal work rights, and during the current COVID-19 recovery period, holders are additionally permitted to work full-time legally.
Key considerations when applying for a work-and-study visa:
-The Department of Home Affairs will primarily assess your financial capacity. Applicants need to provide evidence of approximately MYR 100,000 in savings to demonstrate sufficient funds to support their studies.
-It is essential to manage the risk profile associated with your chosen institution level and your country of passport. Many applicants submit without properly researching this and end up with a visa refusal. We strongly recommend consulting a registered migration agent or specialist for guidance.
-Your educational qualifications must be declared to the Department of Home Affairs, which will use them to assess whether your intention to study in Australia is genuine.
-For Malaysian applicants, English language test results are not always required upfront, but must be provided truthfully if the Department requests them.
You may also consider first applying for an ETA or visitor visa to experience Australia before deciding whether to pursue the work-and-study pathway. Malaysian applicants currently in Australia on a visitor visa are also welcome to contact us to plan their next visa steps.
One more important point — regardless of which visa you apply for, your visa history matters. If you have any prior visa refusals from any country, these must be declared. A previous refusal does not necessarily affect the outcome of your current application. However, if you have previously overstayed in Australia, an automatic three-year re-entry ban will apply from the moment you depart.
If you believe you meet the eligibility criteria, you are welcome to try applying for an Australian visa. In addition to the visa itself, please remember that you must have received at least two doses of an Australian-approved COVID-19 vaccine (which means you will not need to quarantine on arrival), present a negative PCR test result before departure, and complete the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) before arriving in Australia — which must be presented at the airport.
Success Story
After finishing secondary school in Malaysia, TING worked as a carpenter — until the pandemic hit, leaving him unemployed for nearly a year. When borders reopened on 15 December, TING decided it was time to explore opportunities in Australia and reached out to us to enquire about applying for an Australian work-and-study visa from offshore. After an initial consultation, he provided his educational qualifications and language test results, along with savings records of MYR 100,000. We then enrolled him in a business programme starting in April.
After the application was submitted, the Department immediately requested additional information — including a medical examination and biometric collection. TING acted promptly, and within less than two weeks, his 2.5-year visa was approved. TING never imagined he could receive his visa so quickly and immediately booked a flight to Australia. He is now working as a carpenter again and freely admits he never expected the wages and working conditions in Australia to be so good. If you meet the eligibility criteria, Australia’s doors are open to you!
