The Australian Government has announced an extension to post-study work rights for eligible international higher education graduates with select qualifications. The extension grants an additional two years on their Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). Post-study work rights for select degrees in areas of skill shortages will be increased from two to four years for select Bachelor degrees, three to five years for select Masters degrees, and four to six years for all doctoral qualifications.

To implement the extension, lists of eligible occupations and related qualifications were developed by Jobs and Skills Australia and the Department of Education. The eligible qualifications by occupational category include medical professions, nursing and medical technicians, dentistry, veterinarian, medical imaging, radiologist, psychologist, recovery therapist, optometrist, pharmacist, teachers, engineering, information technology (ICT), agriculture, and food technologist.

A comprehensive list of eligible qualifications mapped to CRICOS course codes will be released by the Department of Education before implementation on 1 July 2023. Students should always refer to the comprehensive list to confirm the eligibility of their particular course at their provider. All doctoral graduates (AQF level 10) are also eligible for an additional period of stay – wanna learn more, Talk to us.

As course durations vary between education providers, this might affect the eligibility of individual courses. Therefore, we invite you to talk with one of our education consultants about your future academic plans and see if we can help you assess further the best options for you to study in Australia. Remember, this post-study work rights extension is an excellent opportunity for international graduates to gain valuable work experience and further their careers in Australia.