Australia announces extension on post-work study rights for international graduates

engineering graduate, Temporary graduate visa, visas,

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As of 1 July 2023, international graduates with eligible qualifications will be granted an extra two years on their Temporary Graduate Visa 485.

The Australian Government has announced a two-year extension of post-study work rights for international graduates with select degrees in areas of verified skills shortage to strengthen the pipeline to skilled work.

This extension will give eligible international graduates an additional two years on their Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). The Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) is for recent international graduates that acquire the skills and qualifications relevant to specific occupations Australia desperately needs. It allows the applicant to temporarily live, study and work in Australia for the duration of the visa.

The extension is in addition to the existing additional one to two years of post-study work rights available to eligible students who study, live and work in regional areas.

Post-study work rights for select degrees in areas of verified skill shortages will be increased from:

• Two years to four years for select Bachelor degrees
• Three years to five years for select Masters degrees
• Four years to six years for all doctoral qualifications.

To implement the extension, lists of occupations in demand and related qualifications were developed through a mapping process undertaken by Jobs and Skills Australia and the Department of Education.

Click here to see a list of identified occupations from the 2022 Skills Priority List and the eligible qualifications by occupational category.

The Government has announced that the cap will be reinstated on 1 July 2023 and will be raised from its previous level of 40 hours per fortnight to the new level of 48 hours per fortnight.

This revised cap will help international students to support themselves through their studies, while maintaining study as the primary purpose of their visa.

The cap will apply to all international students, no matter when they began studying.

Click here to view the International student working hour cap fact sheet for a detailed explanation.

Source: © Commonwealth of Australia | Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

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