International students studying in Australia will be allowed to work for up to 48 hours per fortnight from July 2023.
At the same time, Australia has plans to extend post-study work rights to specific international students graduating with qualifications that can help fill the labour market gaps in the country’s economy. The list of degrees that are eligible for this extension is now available.
It seems that Australia’s international education sector has experienced significant boosts after the pandemic because of the expansion of several in-study and post-study work rights for overseas students. These policies continue to evolve to become more convenient, and we are going to help you learn all about the latest rules concerning work rights in Australia that will become effective on 1 July 2023.
Changes To The Working Hours For International Students
For starters, the temporary policy to remove the cap on the number of hours a foreign student can work during their studies in Australia will cease to exist on 1 July 2023. Consequently, international students will be allowed to work for 48 hours per fortnight or every two weeks instead of 40 hours.
Extension Of Post-Study Work Rights For Specific International Students
According to an announcement made by the Australian government, specific international students graduating with certain qualifications or degrees will enjoy an extension of post-study work rights from 1 July 2023. Here’s a list of degrees that will be given extended post-study work rights to tackle the skills shortages within Australia’s economy;
- 4 years of post-study work rights for those graduating with a Bachelor’s degree
- Those graduating with a Master’s degree will get 5 years of post-study work rights
International students were worried that the extension would be granted to a limited number of fields, but the list of eligible degrees that will get 4 to 5 years of post-study work rights is quite long. What’s important to note here is that priority is given to the health, engineering, agriculture, and education sectors.
Suppose a student graduates with a degree not mentioned on the list. In that case, the post-study work time for a Bachelor’s degree is 2 years, and for a Master’s degree is 3 years.
In addition to this, doctoral graduates, irrespective of their specific field, will be given 6 years of post-study work rights other than the 4-year limit.
Eligibility For The Extended Post-Study Work Rights
According to the government, eligible graduates who hold a valid Temporary Graduate visa on 1
July 2023 or submit an application for it after 1 July 2023 will get a two-year extension.
If a graduate’s visa becomes invalid before 1 July 2023, they can go for an extension of their work rights through the Temporary Activity visa subclass 408.
For more information, visit the official website of the Department of Home Affairs.
