The Australian Government will increase the duration of post-study work entitlements for international students to strengthen the skilled labor pool.

Post-study work rights for certain degrees in skilled shortage areas will be increased from:

From two to four years for degrees.
From three to five years for master’s degrees
From four to six years for doctoral degrees.

A working group will be established to advise the Ministers of Interior and Education on the development of this and other relevant issues.

Members of the working group will include representatives from the Council for International Education, the National Tertiary Education Union, Universities Australia and the Ministries of Home Affairs and Education.

Minister Clare said, “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.”