By Asia Samachar | Australia |
The Australian Government will increase the duration of post study work rights of international students to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour.
At the same time, it will also raise the permanent migration cap by 35,000 to 195,000 spots for the current financial year.
Post study work rights for select degrees in areas of verified skill shortages will be increased from two years to four years for select Bachelor’s degrees, three years to five years for select Masters degrees, and four years to six years for select PhDs.
In a joint statement today by Minister for Education Jason Clare and Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil, they said a working group will be established to report to the ministers by Oct 28.
At the moment, Clare said only 16% 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,” she said.
O’Neil also said work hours for international students will be capped again in June next year following feedback from stakeholders. The number of hours will be subject to consultation with a view to striking the right balance between work and study.
The announcements were made during a two-day summit of 140 representatives of governments, trade unions, businesses and industry to address skills shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.
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