There is important news this month about work rights for students and graduates in Australia.
Post-study work rights
There is currently a skills shortage in Australia in the following professions:
health and nutrition
teaching and education
engineering
computing and information technology.
To help fill this gap, the Australian Government announced changes to post-study work rights. As of July 1, 2023, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) for graduates in these fields will increase:
from 2 to 4 years for Bachelor graduates
from 3 to 5 years for Masters graduates.
Provisions for an additional 2 years for graduates living and working in regional areas continue. Deakin cities of Warrnambool and Geelong are both regional, meaning Bachelor graduates there could be eligible for a 6-year post study visa. Masters graduates may be eligible for a 7 year visa.
Work while studying
As of 1 July, 2023, there will again be a limit on the number of hours international students can work while studying. The cap will be 48 hours per fortnight. This is an increase of 8 hours per fortnight to the previous limit that was lifted during COVID travel restrictions.
Details of all work rights changes are available on the Australian Government website at https://www.education.gov.au/extended-poststudy-work-rights-international-graduates.
*A complete list of the relevant courses is being compiled by the government and will be released in July 2023.