Post Study Work Visa Australia – What You Must Know?

Post Study Work Visa Australia The students who wish to pursue higher studies abroad also plan to stay there for long and gain some professional experience. Australia, being one of the most sought-after study abroad destinations among Indian students, is also famous for offering varied job opportunities to international students post their studies. Looking at the booming demand for skilled workforce in the country, Australia tends to attract, sustain and assimilate international students by offering them a post-study work visa. A post-study work visa in Australia allows international students to stay in Australia for up to 4 years and work after completing their studies.

The Department of Home Affair of the Australian Government is the authority that looks after the immigration and citizenship concerns. It offers different types of work visa for students upon fulfilment of certain eligibility requirements. This article acquaints you with in-depth information about post-study work visa (Australia) including details like visa fees, eligibility requirements, application process and visa processing time.

Here is an overview of the types of work visas that are available to fit your requirements of working in Australia post study.

Post Study Work Visa Australia Types of Visa

Want to study abroad? Get detailed information on Study Abroad Admission.

Post Study Work Visa Australia Key Requirements

The Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Government has set certain eligibility requirements to be fulfilled by the students for each post-study work visa in Australia. Depending on the duration you want to stay in Australia, the visa requirements also vary. Given below is a detailed description of the visa requirements for each post-study work visa type.

Post Study Work Visa Australia – Skilled-Recognised Graduate Visa

The Skilled-Recognised Graduate Visa (Subclass 476) is available exclusively for engineering graduates. It allows international students to live, study, travel and work in Australia for a maximum period of 18 months. In order to be eligible for this type of visa, the students must fulfil the following conditions

• The age of the students must be below 31 years.
• They must also hold an engineering degree at a specified educational institution in the past 2 years.
• They must not be a previous holder of a Skilled-Recognised Graduate Visa (subclass 476) or Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485).
• They must also meet the health and character requirements as specified.
• Having an English proficiency is also mandatory to be eligible for this post-study work visa in Australia unless you have a passport from the UK, USA, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand or Canada.

Post Study Work Visa Australia Temporary Graduate Visa

The Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) can further be categorised into two streams namely, Graduate Work Stream and Post-Study Work Stream. While the Graduate Work Stream allows the international students to stay in Australia for up to 18 months, the Post-Study Work Stream allows them to stay for up to 4 years (depending on their qualification). Given below is a detailed description of eligibility requirements for each stream.

Temporary Graduate Visa Graduate Work Stream

This visa also allows the international students to work, study and live in Australia on a temporary basis. The following eligibility requirements must be fulfilled to get the Temporary Graduate Visa under Graduate Work Stream

• The students must be under 50 years of age.
• They must be a recent graduate with qualification and skills relevant to occupations specified in the skilled occupation list.
• They must also meet the Australian study requirements, i.e., they must be awarded at least one diploma or degree of a CRICOS registered course in the past 6 months. (CRICOS Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students).
• They must have held an Australian study visa and their medium of study must be in English.
• They must also have a valid IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, OET or Cambridge C1 Advanced Test score to prove their English proficiency.
• They must also meet the health and character requirements as specified.
• They must not be a previous holder of Subclass 476 or a Subclass 485 visa as a primary visa.
• In case, the students have had a previous visa cancelled or refused, their applications will not be considered.

Temporary Graduate Visa Post-Study Work Stream

If you have recently graduated from an Australian institution, you can apply for this post-study work visa. It allows you to work, study and live in Australia temporarily for a duration of 2 to 4 years on the basis of your qualification and lest you bring your immediate family members. The key requirements to avail this visa are mentioned hereunder

• The students must be under 50 years of age.
• They must have a graduate degree in a course registered with CRICOS.
• The students must be a current holder of a student visa or must have held a student visa within the past 6 months.
• They must not be a previous holder of Subclass 476 or Subclass 485 visa.
• Meeting the Australian study requirement is also mandatory.
• They must have any of the following degrees
  • Bachelor degree
  • Bachelor (honours) degree
  • Masters by coursework degree
  • Masters (extended degree)
  • Masters by research degree
  • Doctoral degree
• Students having a diploma or a trade qualification cannot apply for this visa.
• They must be proficient in English language and provide proof of their proficiency through any of the tests like IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced Test or OET.
• They must also meet the health and character requirements as specified.

Post Study Work Visa Australia How to apply?

The students willing to apply for any of the post-study work visas in Australia can either apply for it online through their ImmiAccount or by using the paper form. The paper form application is generally accepted in cases where No further stay condition 8503 or 8534 is available in students current visa. In order to apply online, the applicants need to visit the official website of the Department of Home Affair, Government of Australia. Also, it is advised that you apply for this visa within 6 months of the official completion date of your course. Here is a step-by-step application guide to apply online for your assistance

Step 1: Gather all supporting documents prior to starting the application.

Step 2: Visit the official webpage of ImmiAccount.

Step 3: Click on Create ImmiAccount (for new users) or login to ImmiAccount (if you already have it).

Step 4: Fill in the visa application form and attach all supporting documents.

Step 5: In case you want to take your family with you, provide their details as well.

Step 6: Pay the application charge (as specified) online by Credit Card, PayPal, UnionPay or BPAY.

Which are the prominent degree courses to study in Australia? Explore the courses offered by Courses in Australian Universities and apply for them as per their application timeline.

Post Study Work Visa Australia Important Documents

The following documents are required to be provided in support of your visa application

• Identity document
• Study documents
• Health insurance document
• Character document
• Partner documents (if taking your partner)
• Dependants under 18 documents (if required)
• Dependants over 18 documents (if required)