Australia: Study abroad destination with ample post-graduation work options

The Australian education industry is starting to see revival of the interest of Indian students. 

The country, widely known as a top choice of international students, has seen a rising inflow of the international populace in the past few months.

In 2022 and since the reopening of international borders, Australia has welcomed over 56,000 international students to their respective campuses.

In his welcome call, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed international students and travellers and revised various visa, work rights, and student support policies to provide them with an easy and comfortable stay.

"The return of skilled workers and international students to Australia will further cement our economic recovery, providing the valuable workers our economy needs and supporting our important education sector," PM Morrison said.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the esteemed curriculum of Australian universities, making them some of the top-ranked institutions globally. 

Currently, Australia is home to 7 of the top 100 institutions (as per QS World University Rankings), and 7 of the most liveable cities worldwide add to its value and testifies its education system and quality of life.

"Australian universities have always been recommended for all levels of education, including vocational education and training (VET), both in undergraduate and postgraduate studies," he said.

PM Morrison also highlighted the specialisations offered in various fields of expertise and boosted their popularity amongst international students. 

Some of the top specialisations include Accountancy, Agricultural Sciences, Allied Health Services, Actuarial Science, Architecture, Computer Science and Information Technology, Engineering Management, and Teaching.

Tourism and Hospitality Management made the podium as well. And while the country is known for its high-quality education, students receive a significant emphasis on scientific research. 

Top post-graduation work options in Australia

With its forefront of new technology and innovations like the 'Internet of Things' or 'Artificial Intelligence', Australia is also becoming a prominent place for post-graduation workplaces.

Besides education, the nation is sought-after by the international populace for its open, transparent and easy accessibility of employment opportunities.

To support such students, Australia has introduced several visa and post-graduation work offers for international students.

Also read: Policy changes require Australia to welcome overseas students.

The country is also known to offer post-study work opportunities for up to 6 years. Additionally, the recent unfurling of new 485 post-study work stream visas provide students with extended post-study work rights across different regions. 

"Australia is one of the few nations which has always valued skilled personnel and treated its residents equally, irrespective of nationality." 

As per the recent PSWP norms, Australia has increased the stay period for international students based on the duration of their course and region. 

It now offers up to 4 years of Post-Study Work (PSW) rights to overseas students post completing bachelor's degrees. 

Postgraduate students enrolled in a Master's degree (Coursework or Research) can avail up to 5 years of Post-Study Work Rights.

Graduate students or students who have completed a course program from an Australian institution can also apply for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).

The Temporary Graduate Visa process takes about 9 to 11 months. With more, it allows you to work for a minimum of 2 to 5 years in Australia.

Extension of stay time for VET field graduates

The Australian Government has also extended the stay time for vocational education and training (VET) field graduates to 2 years in viewing an overall plan. 

These revised regulations include visa application fee waivers for international students.

The country offers multiple employment opportunities in business, banking, and many other fields in popular cities like Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, and Canberra.

With a hybrid learning system and the emergence of multiple employment opportunities, Indian students are poised to choose Australia as a top contender while studying abroad.