Australia offers the ability to gain work experience and live in Australia once you have completed your studies. through the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).
There are currently two visa streams for post-study work rights - Post-Vocational Education Work stream and the Post-Higher Education Work stream.
With the Post-Vocational Education Work stream, you can live and work in Australia for up to 18 months if you have graduated from an Australian vocational institution.
Students that have graduated with a degree from an Australian higher education institution can consider the Post-Higher Education Work Stream which generally allows them to stay between 2 and 4 years, depending on the qualification.
The Australia India – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), results in a varied length of stay for Indian nationals, you can learn more here.
Adelaide is a modern capital city with a population of 1.4 million people, however it is classified as a regional area for migration purposes. This provides added benefits for international students that choose to study a degree in Adelaide.
If you graduate with a degree from an institution in Adelaide, then you may be eligible for an additional 1 year of Post-Study Work Rights.
| Qualification | Stream | Australia1 | Adelaide |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Post-Higher Education Work stream | 3 years | 4 years |
| Masters degree (research) | Post-Higher Education Work stream | 3 years | 4 years |
| Masters degree (coursework and extended) | Post-Higher Education Work stream | 2 years | 3 years |
| Bachelor degree | Post-Higher Education Work stream | 2 years | 3 years |
| VET qualification | Post-Vocational Education Work stream | 18 months | 18 months |
1 Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
Last updated: 8 August 2024
For the latest and most up-to-date information about the Temporary Graduate visa, please visit the Department of Home Affairs.
Graduating from a South Australian institution opens up exciting opportunities to extend your stay. Whether you're looking to gain skilled work experience or take the next step in your professional journey, Adelaide offers two main pathways that can support your goals after graduation.
State nomination and employer sponsorship are options that may help you continue working in your field and contribute to South Australia’s growing workforce. Adelaide’s classification as a regional city also provides further advantages for international graduates, including access to a broader range of occupations.
Adelaide is the capital city of the state of South Australia. State nomination enables the state government to nominate highly skilled migrants to meet South Australia’s skills needs.
For international graduates, state nomination can assist you to qualify for a skilled migration visa, providing additional points towards your visa application.
There are two skilled migration visa options available for state nomination:
International graduates applying for state nomination in South Australia, can gain benefits including:
Skilled + Business Migration SA provides detailed information about eligibility and the process involved to apply for state nomination.
If you're an international student or graduate looking to build a long-term career in Australia, Employer Sponsorship could be a pathway to staying and working here beyond your current visa.
Employer Sponsorship is when an Australian business supports your visa application to work for them in a skilled role. Sponsorship can lead to either a temporary skilled visa (like the Skills in Demand visa - subclass 482) or a permanent visa through schemes such as the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
To be eligible, your occupation must be on the Skilled Occupation List, and both you and the employer must meet specific criteria, including qualifications, work experience, and salary thresholds.
Timing is important. Don’t raise sponsorship too early. Wait until you’ve built rapport and shown your potential. But don’t leave it too late, as employers need time to prepare.
Here’s a general guide to choosing times to have the conversation with your employer
Approach the topic professionally and positively:
For more information about employer-sponsored visa options in South Australia, visit the Migration SA website.
You can find a migration agent by conducting your own online research or by consulting study abroad agencies, many of which have partnerships with migration agents.
If you are going to use a migration agent, they must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA). Migration agents registered with MARA are the only people who can legally submit and/or process a visa application on your behalf. You can use the Register of Migration Agents to search for migration agents or to check if your agent is registered by looking up their name.
One of the best ways to ensure you find the right migration agent is to consult and choose the one you feel most comfortable with.
Consulting a few different agents is also a good way to make sure you are being fairly charged. MARA recommends contacting at least three agents to get a sense of how their fees and charges compare to one another.
Before you decide on your migration agent, look for online reviews or testimonials from previous clients. If the agent has a great track record of helping people – particularly international students – successfully lodging their visa applications, this is a good sign that they will be able to help you as well.
Although the initial consult with a migration agent can be quite costly (roughly AU$250), this is a normal and necessary part of the process. This first appointment provides a great deal of useful information and helps you understand your visa options, the application fees, documents required, processing times, and the likelihood of visa approval.
If you have hired a migration agent and they are making promises to you that seem unrealistic or that they haven’t delivered on, this could be a bad sign.
For example, if a migration agent is charging you excess fees under the promise that your application will be approved, that could be indicative of fraudulent activity. Remember that no migration agent can influence the outcome of an application, fast-track the processing, or guarantee you a visa.
It is standard for a migration agent to provide you with a written contract outlining their fees and services. If they are not readily offering this written agreement, it could be a sign of suspicious behaviour. Be sure to ask for a contract as well as any receipts for payments you make so you have a paper trail of your agreements with the agent.
The information contained in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, situation or needs. StudyAdelaide does not guarantee the accuracy of the information including information provided by third parties. Individuals must not rely on the information on this website to make decisions. Read the StudyAdelaide Disclaimer.
The information contained in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, situation or needs. StudyAdelaide does not guarantee the accuracy of the information including information provided by third parties. Individuals must not rely on the information on this website to make decisions. Read the StudyAdelaide Disclaimer.
