India-Australia New Pact Open Opportunities For Immigrants!

Surya Rathee
[Published 05 Jun, 2023 | 04:25 AM]
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India and Australia have further strengthened their ties by signing the Migration and Mobility Pact during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 3-day visit to Australia. 

The newly inked Migration and Mobility Pact promises more opportunities for students, academic researchers, and business people and promotes educational and professional prospects between the two regions. Under this new pact, Indian graduates of Australian tertiary institutions on an Australia Study Visa - can apply to work and pursue professional development without visa sponsorship for up to eight years.

This new pact signed on May 24, 2023, at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, is slated to begin from July 1st this year.

A New Pilot Program: MATES

The pact will also include a newly launched pilot program called MATES or Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-Professionals Scheme. This new pilot will have an annual cap of 3,000 places for four years. 

MATES will also offer a dedicated mobility pathway for Indian graduates and early career professionals with knowledge & skills in certain targeted fields of study - while allowing them to live and work in Australia for up to two years. According to reports, the first list of eligible educational qualifications will include:

• Renewable Energy
• Mining
• Engineering
• Information & Communications Technology
• Artificial Intelligence 
• FinTech
• AgriTech

More areas are expected to be added at a later date by a joint working group. 

New Immigration System for Skilled Workers

Back in April, in an effort to speed up getting highly skilled workers into the country and smoothening the process to apply for Australia PR - the Australian government proposed hauling its immigration system. The federal government stated that the immigration system currently being used to select skilled workers, will be modified to identify applicants with the relevant skill sets that can help support and sustain the Australian economy. 

The new & improved immigration system will also make the visa process easier and quicker for high-skilled professionals - while measures would be taken to retain international students. 

Furthermore, Temporary Skilled Visa holders will also be able to apply for Australia PR by the end of 2023. However, it will not add to Australia's annual intake of permanent residency migrants.

On 9 May 2023, the Australian Government announced that the planning level for the 2023-24 Permanent Migration Program will be set at 190,000 places. Great news for immigrants looking to immigrate to Australia in 2023.