Key Points
- Australia is set to lower the maximum age for international students applying for a temporary graduate work visa from 50 to 35 years old.
- The new visa settings are anticipated to take effect from 1 July.
- Student organisations are voicing apprehension about the reduction in age for Subclass 485 visa applicants, warning that it could deplete talent.
“These changes should take effect from 1 July 2024, subject to the passage of legislative amendments,” the government added.
Changes to the Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate Visa) program
The maximum age for the applicants for the TGV will be reduced to 35 years, but applicants holding Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) passports can still apply up to the age of 50.
Last year, the federal government unveiled its long-awaited migration strategy, outlining immediate and future steps to overhaul Australia’s “broken” migration system. Credit: Stock Photo
Expanded post-study work privileges enabling students to stay under the visa Subclass 485 for a maximum of eight years will no longer apply and will be reduced to two years for a bachelor’s or master’s degree by coursework and three years for a master’s by research.
Stay periods for Indian nationals, as agreed in the Australian Indian – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), have not been altered under the new visa settings announced recently. Credit: Jake Wyman/Getty Images
The will be known as the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream but there are no further changes to this stream, and it maintains its current criteria and benefits.
‘Drastic step and a clear mistake’
“This is clearly a mistake. There should not be an age limit set for Higher Degree Research (HDR) students … There is no reason to exclude them based on age,” Weihong Liang, President of Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association, told SBS Hindi.
Weihong Liang is the President of Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association. Credit: Supplied by Weihong Liang
“If we do not have a good post-study visa that allows for a stay of around 4-5 years, the most outstanding individuals may choose not to come here at all, or they may finalise their departure to the US, Hong Kong, Singapore or Europe before graduating,” Liang added.
“Recent research found that almost half of HDR candidates with visas were over the age of 30,” it noted.
In the 2022-23 financial year, the higher education sector received more than 273,000 visa applications, with over 71,000 originating from India. Source: Press Association
Earlier this year, a urging the government to review the decision to change the age limit.
“The vast bulk of students are 35 or under so the change should not affect a large portion of students,” Rizvi said told SBS Hindi.
Based on the official data, more than 9,000 visas were applied for in the post-research sector, including 931 originating from India, during the 2022-23 period.
