Extended Post-Study Work Rights: Eligible Occupations and Qualifications
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 (subclass 485).
Post-study work rights for select degrees in areas of verified skill shortages will be increased 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 qualifications.
To implement the extension, lists of occupations in demand and related qualifications were developed through a mapping process undertaken by Jobs and Skills Australia and the Department of Education.
This document comprises:
- A list of identified occupations from the 2022 Skills Priority List, and
- A summary list of eligible qualifications by occupational category.
All doctoral studies are considered eligible for the measure, regardless of field of study 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 comprehensive list, when published, to confirm the eligibility of their particular course at their provider.
The implementation and on-going management of the extension to Post-Study Work Rights will be supported through monitoring and an annual review process. This approach means the lists and the implementation will be flexible in response to changes in the labor market and able to address any risks that may emerge.
Identified occupations from the 2022 Skills Priority List
List of occupations requiring Skill Level 1 qualifications in strong and moderate demand according to the 2022 Skills Priority List, adjusted by a manual validation process.
A Labour Market rating of ‘S’ represents an identified skills shortage at a national level, whereas a rating of ‘R’ specifies a shortage specific to regional areas only.
The acronym ‘nec’ refers to occupations ‘not elsewhere classified’ which allows occupations that do not fit into detailed categorisation in the classification to still be included. All occupations which are not separately identified in the ANZSCO classification structure are included in the ‘nec’ category of the unit group to which they relate.
Indicative list of eligible qualifications, listed by occupational category
The qualifications listed in this table 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 comprehensive list, when published, to confirm the eligibility of their particular course at their provider.
The qualifications were generated by mapping to the occupations in skills shortage (the above list). The mapping process included both automated and manual steps.
These qualifications are eligible for extended post-study work rights.
In addition to the qualifications listed below, all doctoral graduates (AQF level 10) are eligible for an additional period of stay.
Courses differ between education providers, including as to duration, and this may affect eligibility of individual courses at individual providers. The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) will be updated to inform decision making by students, providers and employers.