Australia will increase the duration of the post-study work rights for international students by two years. The Australian Education Ministry has said that post-study work rights will be increased from two years to four years for select bachelor’s degrees; three years to five years for select master’s degrees; and four years to six years for select PhDs.
In the past few years, the number of Indian students in Australia has gone up. As per a report, the share of Indian students was 17 percent in 2019, which jumped to 23 in 2022.
Minister for Education Jason Clare said that at the moment, only 16 percent of international students stay on after their studies end. “This will mean they can stay on longer and use the skills they’ve gained in Australia to help fill some of the chronic skills shortages we have right now,” he said.
Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil said that international education is an important industry in Australia that the pandemic has heavily impacted.
The outcomes from the jobs and skills summit are geared towards supporting international education and giving the students who earn degrees in Australia the chance to contribute to the productivity of our economy, he added.
A working group will be established to advise the ministers for Home Affairs and Education. The group will report to ministers by 28 October 2022, the ministry said.
It also said that international education will also benefit from the $36.1 million the government will invest in visa processing to support 500 surge staff over the next nine months.
