Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has reaffirmed that the minimum age criterion of 50 for post-study work visas for research students will be upheld. This announcement follows the proposed amendments to the Temporary Graduate Visa Program, set to be implemented on July 1, 2024.
Originally, the Department had planned to lower the minimum age limit to 35 for all Temporary Graduate 485 visa streams, with the exception of Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders. However, after considering feedback on the potential impact of this change on postgraduate research students, the Department opted to retain the higher age limit for research students in the Post-Higher Education Work Stream, previously known as the Post-Study Work Stream.
According to the new guidelines, Master’s (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) graduates, as well as Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders under 50, will still be eligible for the visa. This decision aims to strike a balance between the government’s objective of attracting international talent and concerns regarding the age requirement for research students.
The earlier migration strategy, released in December, suggested that lowering the age limit would benefit “early career professionals.” However, critics argued that the proposed cut-off would exclude most doctoral graduates. The Group of Eight emphasized that in 2022, 40% of international PhD students in Australia were aged 30 or older, potentially rendering many ineligible for a visa under the proposed age limit.
The 35-year age limit will still be applicable to graduates of taught master’s, bachelor’s, associate degree, and vocational programs, effective from July 1, 2024.
Confirmed post-study work rights by the government include:
– 2 years for Bachelor Degree (no change)
– 2 years for Master’s by coursework (reduced from 3 years)
– 3 years for Master’s by research (no change)
– 3 years for PhD (reduced from 4 years)
Eligibility for a second temporary graduate visa remains unchanged, but the two-year extension introduced in 2022 will be discontinued.
There are also changes in the names of various streams. The post-study and second post-study work streams will be rebranded as the post-higher and second post-higher education work streams, respectively, and the graduate work stream will be renamed the post-vocational education work stream.
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