A Student Visa I provided to the Indian students with a notion that the student completes the course and returns back to the home country before the date of expiration. But, most Indian students would prefer to take up some career upon completion of their course in the same country and thereby gain some relevant experience before returning back, especially when you don’t have a job offer back at home. Unlike other countries which might have a duration of work permit post the study program, Australia does not offer an automatic one.

How to get a Post Study Work Permit in Australia?

In order to gain a work permit, a student must apply for a Post Study Work Permit or a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). This visa has replaced the earlier Skilled Graduate Visa (subclass 485) and came into effect from March 2013. This Temporary Graduate Visa has 2 streams or categories. One is the Graduate Work Stream that caters to international students who have the relevant skills and qualification from Australia as per the occupations listed on the Skills Occupation List (SOL). This is granted for a period of 18 months. Another type of temporary graduate visa is the Post Study Work Stream which is applicable only to students who had been granted the student visa for Australia on or after November 5, 2011. Here the duration of the visa depends upon the degree held by the student. For instance, one with a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s without industry linkage would be provided 2 years post work permit while the one with a Master’s with research or Doctoral Degree might be given 3 or 4 years duration.

What are the other types of Visa available in Australia?

Apart from the above, there are visa types like the ‘Tourist Visa’, ‘Working Holiday Visa’, Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s Employer Nomination Scheme, etc. which can be availed by the students who wish to extend their stay a little longer.