Australia’s Minister for Education, Jason Clare, declared a post-study work rights extension for international student graduates who can stay and work in Australia for an extra two years. This could be a life-changing opportunity for anyone studying or planning to study in Australia. 

The Government has extended post-study work rights to give eligible international higher education graduates with select qualifications an additional two years on their Temporary Graduate visa (for subclass 485). Post-study work rights for selected degrees in areas of verified skill shortages will be increased as follows: 

• 2 years to 4 years for select Bachelor’s level degrees 
• 3 years to 5 years for select Master’s level degrees 
• 4 years to 6 years for doctoral-level qualification. 

From 1 July 2023, international higher education graduates with eligible qualifications will be granted an extra two years of post-study work rights. The allowable work hours cap for international students will be increased from 40 hours to 48 hours per fortnight.

List of occupations and qualifications eligible for post-study work rights extension

List of Eligible Occupations and Qualifications

Lists of occupations in demand and related qualifications were developed through a mapping process undertaken by Jobs and Skills set requirements in Australia and the Department of Education. 

All doctoral studies are considered eligible for the measure, regardless of the field of research, and so are not listed individually. The qualifications listed in this document are a summary of the eligible qualifications. A comprehensive list mapped to CRICOS course codes will be released by the Department of Education before implementation on 1 July 2023. Students will need to refer to the extensive list, when published, to confirm the eligibility of their particular course at their provider. The implementation and ongoing management of the extension to Post-Study Work Rights will be supported through monitoring and an annual review process. 

The lists and the implementation will be flexible in response to changes in the labour market in Australia. Identified occupations from the 2022 Skills Priority List List of occupations requiring Skill Level 1 qualification in strong and moderate demand according to the 2022 Skills Priority List, adjusted by a manual validation process. For more information about Extended Post-Study Work Rights, you can visit the official website of the Australian Immigration and Educational Rights in Australia.