Planning to work or study in Australia? If so, you should know this latest news. The Australian Government has just announced several changes to the Temporary Graduate visa programs, and they are set to be effective from 1st July 2024 (pending legislative approval). These changes to the Migration Strategy include significant updates, particularly to the Graduate Work stream and the Post-Study Work stream.

While these changes are transformative and promise a streamlined journey for international students, they can also make many ineligible for certain visas. So, read on to learn how it impacts you.

Overview of changes:

Graduate Work stream to Post-Vocational Education Work stream
Post-Study Work stream to Post-Higher Education Work stream
Second Post-Study Work stream to Second Post-Higher Education Work stream
Cessation of Replacement stream

Graduate Work Stream to Post-Vocational Education Work Stream

The first and most notable change is in the Graduate Work stream. It will be renamed as the ‘Post-Vocational Education Work stream,’ and its eligibility criteria will be reduced. Now, the eligible age for this visa is reduced to 35 years or under — except for Hong Kong and British national overseas passport holders. They will stay eligible up to 50 years of age.

Under this stream, applicants must hold an associate degree, diploma, or trade qualification relevant to their occupation listed on the MLTSSL or Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. However, applicants with a degree qualification or higher are no longer eligible for this stream, and they may explore other visa alternatives.

As for the stay, this stream allows for a stay of up to 18 months, while HK and BNO passport holders may stay up to 5 years.

Post-Study Work Stream to Post-Higher Education Work Stream

The Post-Study Work stream will also be rebranded as the Post-Higher Education Work stream. The new eligible age for this visa is 35 years or under for everyone and 50 years or under for Hong Kong and British national overseas passport holders.

The extension period for ‘select degrees’ will cease, and stay periods will vary based on the level of qualification obtained, ranging from 2 to 3 years.

Bachelor’s (including honours) – up to 2 years
Masters (coursework and extended) – up to 2 years
Masters (Research) and doctoral degree (PhD) – up to 3 years

However, HK and BNO passport holders can stay up to 5 years. As for Indian nationals, stay periods align with the Australian Indian – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), allowing for longer stays based on specific degree classifications.

Bachelor’s (including honours) – up to 2 years
Bachelor’s degree (with 1st class honours in STEM, including ICT) – up to 3 years
Masters (coursework, extended and research) – up to 3 years
Doctoral degrees (PhD) – up to 4 years

Applicants who are no longer eligible for the Post-Higher Education Work stream owing to age reduction may be eligible for a variety of alternative visas. Explore your visa choices.

Second Post-Study Work Stream to Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream

Finally, the Second Post-Study Work stream will be renamed the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream. Except for the name change, there are no further alterations to this stream.

Replacement Stream

The replacement stream will no longer exist from 1st July 2024.

Other Changes

Apart from the eligibility criteria and stay permits, there are some changes that are worth keeping in mind. The first one is regarding the English test score requirement. What was once a 6.0 has now increased to a 6.5 IELTS band. This change is expected to take place in the next three months.

Additionally, there’s another change that restricts graduate visa holders from transferring back to student visas while onshore. This change is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.

Lastly, the processing time for a Post-Higher Education Work Visa, which was previously 49 to 120 days, is now 21 days or under. As it is undetermined when it may come into effect, students are advised to stay informed and plan accordingly, ideally with the support of an expert.

Final Word:

The idea behind these changes is to align the visa programs with the evolving skill needs, economic landscape, and international agreements. As these adjustments come into effect, prospective applicants will have more and better opportunities to explore. If ineligible for a visa, you can certainly explore other visa options to study or work in Australia.

Do you want to know your options post these changes? Get in touch with our industry-best experts at EnglishWise. We are dedicated to providing holistic support and guidance to those navigating the complexities of Australian visas. Our goal is to secure your smooth transition to academic and professional pursuits in Australia.

So, do not pause to drop us a call! We’ll assist you as best we can.

tharanga silva

12:09 02 May 23

My experience with englishwise is a great one. I did manage to get my desired score within few weeks time. My trainer Himzy was very professional and her tricks worked really well to achieve my target score. I feel really comfortable to work with her and she responded to my quarries within second and that was the best thing about her. Even my wife wonder how much effect she put into her job and we never expected that kind of support when we join englishwise. The portal is regularly updated and has got all the tools you required to crack your PTE. Highly recommended this provider.

K L

11:04 05 Apr 23

I got my desired score on the first attempt. I had no idea about PTE before as it was my first time. I'm very grateful to English Wise and especially my tutor Sarah. I recommend everyone to join English wise to achieve your goal. I took 20 hrs private classes with trainer Sarah. She is very professional and guides you thoroughly. She is very supportive and she delivered very practical and useful learning sessions. Her constructive feedback and teaching techniques and strategies helped me to improve on my weakness. The course material and resources from English wise are very helpful to achieve the desired score. Highly recommended!!

Safa Moeed

00:02 01 Apr 23

I prepared for my PTE exam under the guidance of Ms. Ambika Sharma in less than a months time. I am so happy that I got my desired score. She picked out where I am losing marks and helped me with teaching the right tips and strategies. Highly recommended!

Swikriti P

03:14 18 Mar 23

Thanks to Ambika ma’am for providing me her precious time and guidance to achieve my desired score. I’m more than grateful to her efforts. She was always helpful, supportive and always available for any issues. Greatly recommend her.

Navdeep Randhawa

10:17 13 Mar 23

Best place I would recommend for Naati preparation. Jaswinder mam is really helpful and she is friendly and humble. She will take your questions and will solve them instant. She will help you practice a lot in the class and gives chance to all the students in the class for the participation. Thank you so much ♥️

Puneet Dhingra

09:16 18 Feb 23

I have learned so much in my PTE classes with Englishwise."HIMZY/HIMNEET" is an excellent tutor.Himzy's method of teaching is so wonderful & refreshing.I want to thank Englishwise & Shivi as well, EW arranged online, one to one pte classes in just one call. It was all easy n hassle free.As i had only 10 days to prepare for my exam so HIMZY broke down the pte learning material according to that. She was always patient and eager to help.& Finally, in just 6-7 one-to-one classes, I learned the methods, tips & tricks from Himzy to crack PTE exam, and i scored more than 80 in each module.I'm thrilled to have found ENGLISHWISE.

Mohit Ahuja

22:29 17 Feb 23

English wise has been phenomenal with their course material and services. Special shout-out to the PTE and Jaswinder from the NAATI team for providing the calibre of coaching that allowed me to clear the exams in one attempt! Definitely recommend these guys ????????

Harsh patel

10:43 16 Feb 23

My experience with English-wise was so good. I started my coaching 1 on 1 in first week of February and gave my PTE exam on last week and got my desired score once. I am very thankful to Sakshi mam. She taught me so nicely, help me in rectifying all my mistakes, and directed me in the right direction. Very much thankful from the bottom of my heart. Cheers English-wise team. Keep up the good work.

Jayanta Bishwokarma

05:51 06 Feb 23

I got my desired score at first attempt. Trainer guided me with instant feedback which helps me a lot. I would really recommend English wise, if you looking for PTE classes.Thank you English wise

VASANTHA KUMAR ANBARASI

05:26 06 Feb 23

I highly recommend English wise to whoever struggle to get their desired score. In my journey I did both in person and online study mode. First I have to thank Senorita and Sakshi for all their effort to guide me and helped me to clear all my doubts and also given me many tips every time and they encouraged me each and every mock test with patience.During my online feedback class Sohal play a major role, especially on my all mock test feedback classes. Sohal always spot on all the mistakes I had made and corrected them and guided me, and all the staff who works in English wise are very kind and easy approachable.Thank you Duen lobo as well and my another online trainer Satvik. Thank once again for all of you, you people are very great.I got my desired score on my first attempt within two month of my training.

Vidhit Narang

02:02 02 Feb 23

Thank you so much English wise team and my tuter Amee mam, specially, i scored my desired score in first attempt !! Also with my working scedule tuter is very flexible and very proffesional !! Thanks for your templetes and mock tests really work for me !!😊

Erleen Kaur

05:20 12 Jan 23

My experience with English-wise was so good. I started my coaching in 1 week of December and gave my PTE exam today and got my desired score once. I am very thankful to Miss Mannvinder. She taught me so nicely, help me in rectifying all my mistakes, and directed me in the right direction. Very much thankful from the bottom of my heart. Cheers English-wise team. Keep up the good work.

aruna mudiyanselage

07:46 04 Jan 23

Thank you so much English wise team and my tuter Himnet, specially , i scored my desired score in first attempt !! Also with my working scedule tuter is very flexible and very proffesional !! Thanks for your templetes and mock tests really work for me !!

kamal sandhu

06:02 22 Dec 22

Thank you Jaswinder mam for boosting confidence and for being friendly in teaching naati Punjabi. Today I passed my naati exam. Thanks to Englishwise for providing such a good teacher.

Madhavi Bhusal

06:30 29 Oct 22

This is the scam!!!! First they will say it’s on offer and forced you to pay and take class whenever you want to, due to lockdown i could not do face to face and I didn’t wanted to take online and I asked them for refund but they denied and they blocked from Facebook and it’s been already more than 1 year they took my $495. They told me to find someone and refer but I don’t have anyone and how can I refer to someone where I’m suffering Already.Stop doing fake marketing and stop taking money from innocent students, I had to work so hard to make $495 and this people took it away😢😢😢. SHAME ON YOU HARKIRAT KAUR🤬😡😡

Hairong Liu

04:50 16 Jul 22

Thank you so much.Englishwise helped me pass my PTE exam. I tried three times, but could not get 65, then I choose a one on one course, just for one week and I pasted my exam with a good score of 72, so surprised!Ambika is a very good teacher, she helped me a lot, her tips were very useful. She encouraged me and built my confidence. I Highly recommend this company.

Caner Unal

04:23 14 Jul 22

I strongly recommend Englishwise for PTE exams. I passed on the first attempt. Staff was really helpful during the registration process. I had one on one lessons from Ambika and she was really helpful. She guided and trained me very well so I passed on the first attempt. Thanks very much Ambika and Englishwise!!

Nancy Verma

09:57 20 Jun 22

Thank you Englishwise for the amazing guidance that you provided me during my course. The staff was very cooperative and helpful and gave personal feedback on my performances which helped me a lot to get the desired scores. I highly recommend to join Englishwise if anyone wants to get the desired scores.Thank you........

Veronica johanna garcia lozada

03:08 14 May 22

I paid for one month 250 dollars, I had an emergency with my family, I sent and email request my course cancellation, they refused. I check the prices and for 250 dollar you have 6 months for use the platform, I ask to them because I paid 250 just for one month. I used the platform, I tried to be in class and I was connected with many people and waiting for the teacher more than 15 min. I didn’t get any class with teacher! Any class!! Any feedback …They send me an email and they told me I can access for 6 months to the platform because I paid 250 after one month the close the platform I asked them and they said it was the deal. I wasted money and time and I had an terrible experience and stressful. I could paid this money in a better place o paying my test.Please don’t get agreement with this people!!!Don’t waste your money and time. Awful experience!