SC 485 extended post study rights
Ministers Clare O'Neil and Jason Clare have jointly announced that the post-study work rights for international students who have graduated from an Australian higher education provider, will be extended to assist in addressing skills shortages.
A list of eligible occupations and eligible qualifications have been released, targeting health, teaching, engineering and agricultural fields.
The extended work rights come into effect from 1 July 2023. Current settings will be increased by two years for each graduate level, 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 degrees.
Existing regional and remote Australia settings will be maintained and where relevant will be eligible for the additional two years.
These targeted skills will be considered on an annual basis and updated as needed in response to the labour market.
Eligible graduates with a valid Temporary Graduate Visa on 1 July 2023 or who apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa after 1 July 2023, will be considered for the two year extension.
Transitional arrangements - Two year SC 408 visas
Temporary Graduate Visa (TGV) holders whose visas expire/d between 1 September 2022 and 1 July 2023 may apply for an extension of their work rights using a Temporary Activity SC 408 COVID-19 Pandemic event visa with two years validity.
Temporary Graduate Visa holders who were in Australia throughout the pandemic period and are therefore not eligible for the TGV Replacement stream, may also be eligible for the SC 408 visa with two years validity.
Further information is available on the Education Portfolio website and the Home Affairs website.
The Home Affairs Minister's media announcement is available here
If you are a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa (TGV) holder in Australia, you may apply for and be granted a Pandemic event visa with a 2-year period of stay, instead of a TGV extension, if:
If you are a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa (TGV) holder in Australia, you may apply for and be granted a Pandemic event visa with a 2-year period of stay, instead of a TGV extension, if:
- your TGV expires before 1 July 2023
- you are not eligible to apply for a TGV extension on 1 July 2023
- you currently have an unfinalised 408 Pandemic event visa application, and you held a TGV at the time you made that application.
You must be working in Australia or have an offer of employment, and apply within 90 days before your TGV expires, or within 28 days after your TGVexpires.
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