June 26th 2023.
Starting July 1, 2023, Indian graduates from Australian tertiary institutions will have the opportunity to apply to work in Australia for up to eight years. This is the outcome of a bilateral agreement signed between India and Australia last month.
The Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) is a key feature of this agreement. This program will provide 3,000 spots annually for young professionals from India to spend two years in Australia without needing a visa sponsorship.
As part of this migration deal, Australians aiming to conduct research in India can now apply for an S-5 visa, granting them a stay in India for up to three years or for the duration of their research project.
The MATES visa is a temporary scheme, applicable to recent pass-outs or graduates from established and recognised Indian universities with degrees in specialised fields. The fee and visa processing time for the MATES visa has not yet been announced.
The specialised fields that are eligible for the MATES visa include: engineering, mining, financial technology, artificial intelligence, information & communication technology, agricultural technology, and renewable energy.
In order to be eligible for the MATES visa, the candidate must be below the age of 31, must have graduated from a recognised and verified university, and must be at an early stage of their career.
Australian higher education graduates with eligible qualifications will be granted an extra two years of post-study work rights from July 1, 2023. This extension will give eligible international higher education graduates an additional two years on their Temporary Graduate Visa. This is in addition to the existing additional one to two years of work rights for eligible students who study, live and work in regional areas.
When it comes to student visa work restrictions, these were relaxed throughout the pandemic, and completely removed in January 2022, to allow primary and secondary student visa holders to work over their normal limit of 40 hours per fortnight to address workforce shortages. However, from July 1, the work restrictions for all student visa holders will be re-introduced and capped at the increased rate of 48 hours per fortnight. This ensures that student visa holders are able to focus on their education, while being able to support themselves financially, gain valuable work experience, and contribute to Australia’s workforce needs.
Student visa holders already working in the aged care sector as on May 9, 2023, can continue to work unrestricted hours in the aged care sector until December 31, 2023.
There is some flexibility in the number of hours international students can work, but they will have to maintain their course enrolment, ensure satisfactory course attendance, and ensure satisfactory course progress. Those who cancel their enrolment and stop attending classes, or fail to meet satisfactory course progress, may be in breach of their visa conditions.
Last month, the Australian government announced that the planning level for the 2023-24 permanent Migration Programme has been set at 190,000 places. The programme has been designed to address persistent and emerging skills shortages and to attract people with specialist skillsets that are difficult to find or develop in Australia.
The 2023-24 permanent Migration Programme comprises the Skill stream (72 percent of the programme), the Family stream (28 percent of the programme), the Special Eligibility stream, the Global Talent Visa category, and the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP).
The Skill stream of the programme has allocated 30,375 places for Skilled Independent visas and is comparable to the 2022-23 program allocation of 32,100 places. The Family stream is predominantly made up of partner visas, enabling Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship. Of this stream, 40,500 partner visas are estimated for 2023-24 for planning purposes, with 3,000 Child visas also estimated for 2023-24. The Global Talent Visa Program has been allocated 5,000 places, while the BIIP has been reduced to 1,900 visas for the 2023-24 permanent Migration Programme.
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