This visa allows recent engineering graduates to live, work or study in Australia for up to 18 months. You must have completed a degree or higher qualification from a specified institution within the past 2 years, and be under 31 years of age.
Stay longer
You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa, as you can't be granted another Skilled - Recognised Graduate visa. You will need to apply for another visa. Explore your visa options.
Include family
You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply.
Family members who apply for the visa must meet our health and character requirements.
You can add your children to the application until a decision on your application is made. You can't add any other member of the family unit to your application during that period.
Subsequent entrants
If we grant you the visa, your family members might be able to apply to join you in Australia later as a subsequent entrant.
They can't apply online, but must apply on paper using, Form 1276 Application for Skilled – Recognised Graduate (Temporary) visa (subclass 476). For information on how to apply see step by step.
Cost
The visa costs AUD375 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.
You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.
Apply from
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa. When the visa is granted, you must be outside Australia.
Family members making a combined application must also be outside of Australia when the visa is granted.
If you are the holder of a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, you and family members who made a combined application can be in or outside Australia when the visa is granted.
Processing times
Your application can take longer to process if:
you do not fill it in correctly
you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you
it takes us time to verify your information
We can't process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case.
Your obligations
You, and your family members, must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
See which conditions will and might be attached to this visa.
Travel
You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
The time you spend outside Australia does not extend the visa.
Visa label
We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
travel in and out of Australia
work up to 40 hours every 2-week period once your course starts
How long you can stay
This is a temporary visa to study up to 5 years. The type of course and its length will determine the length of stay
Primary school children enrolled in years 1-4 can only be granted a student visa for a maximum of 2 years.
Stay longer
To continue studying in Australia, you must apply for a new Student visa.
If your Student visa will expire before your graduation you might be eligible for a Visitor visa (subclass 600). You will need a letter from your education provider with the date of your graduation.
If you hold or held a student visa and completed specific qualifications in Australia in the last six months, you might be eligible for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485).
If you are a recent engineering graduate of a recognized institution you might be eligible for the Skilled Recognition Graduate visa (subclass 476).
If you want to stay longer for other reasons, you must apply for a new visa that suits your circumstances. Explore your visa options.
Include family
You can include family members when you lodge your visa application. For student visas, your family member is:
your partner, or
your or your partner's dependent child who is unmarried and has not turned 18 years of age.
You must declare your family members in your student visa application even if they do not plan to travel with you to Australia. If you do not do this, your family members will not be eligible for a student visa to join you in Australia.
Your family members can also apply as a subsequent entrant (at a later time, separate from your application) in ImmiAccount.
Family members who apply for the visa must meet our requirements for health and character.
Cost
The visa costs from AUD575 for the main applicant, unless they are exempt.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa.
You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.
Apply from
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when we decide on your application.
Packaged courses
You will need to give us Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for each course. The last course you take as part of the course package is your main course of study. We use your main course of study to work out what financial and English language skills evidence you must give us.
If your visa application includes a package of courses, course gaps must be less than two calendar months, unless the first course finishes at the end of the standard academic year and the next course commences at the beginning of the standard academic year.
For example, the academic year generally ends in November and starts again in February the following year, three to four months is an acceptable gap between courses.
Standard visa grant periods apply to packaged courses.
Processing times
We process:
Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector
75% of applications in 15 days
90% of applications in 36 days
Postgraduate Research Sector
75% of applications in 63 days
90% of applications in 5 months
Non-Award Sector
75% of applications in 5 days
90% of applications in 11 days
Schools Sector
75% of applications in 42 days
90% of applications in 77 days
Independent ELICOS Sector
75% of applications in 25 days
90% of applications in 42 days
Vocational Education and Training Sector
75% of applications in 44 days
90% of applications in 76 days
Higher Education Sector
75% of applications in 41 days
90% of applications in 51 days
Your application can take longer to process if:
you do not fill it in correctly
you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you
it takes us time to verify your information
We can't process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case.
See more information on Global visa and citizenship processing times
Your obligations
You and your family must meet all visa conditions and follow Australian laws.
See which conditions will and might be attached to this visa.
Travel
You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
The time you spend outside Australia does not extend the visa.
Visa label
We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
With this visa, you can
visit Australia to complete a workplace-based training (to improve your skills for your current occupation, area of tertiary study or field of expertise), or a professional development training program
Nomination types
This visa allows people to take part in workplace-based training to improve their skills for their job, area of tertiary study, field of expertise or in a professional development training program in Australia.
Nomination requirements are different depending on the purpose or type of training.
There are 3 types of occupational training covered by this visa:
Occupational training required for registration
Occupational training to improve skills in an eligible occupation
Occupational training for capacity building overseas. This includes overseas qualification, government support or professional.
Nomination is the stage where the sponsor provides details about the nominee (intended trainee), the purpose or type of training and how and where the training will be provided.
How long you can stay
This is a temporary visa. We might grant you a visa stay in Australia for up to 2 years.
You can leave and re-enter Australia on the visa while it is valid.
Stay longer
You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa.
You can apply for another visa. Explore visa options.
Include family
You can include members of the family unit in your application when you apply
You can also add family members to your application after you apply but before we decide on your visa.
Family members who apply for the visa with you must also meet our health and character requirements.
If you apply for this visa from outside Australia, family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health requirements.
Subsequent entrants
If we grant you the visa, your family members might be able to apply to join you in Australia later as a subsequent entrant.
They can do this using the Temporary Work and Activity Visa (Subsequent Entrant) (403,407,408) form in ImmiAccount.
Family members applying subsequently should :
be listed on the nomination form if their sponsor is not a Commonwealth Government Agency, and
provide a letter from the sponsor of the primary applicant confirming the sponsor has agreed to sponsor them
Cost
The visa costs from AUD285 for the main applicant.
There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.
You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
To work out what your visa will cost, use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.
Apply from
You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when we decide on your application.
Processing times
Your application might take longer to process if:
you do not fill it in correctly
you do not include all the documents we need or we need more information from you
we have to verify your information
We can't process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. We will notify you if this is the case and if necessary return your application.
Your obligations
You and your family members must obey all Australian laws.
Learn more about conditions for this visa.
Travel
You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
The time you spend outside Australia does not extend the visa.
Visa label
We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
Financial support
You will need to be able to financially support yourself while in Australia. You will need to be able to financially support accompanying family members.
Changing sponsors
If you decide to train with another organisation while you are in Australia, you will need to be sponsored by that organisation. They must submit a new nomination for you.
When the new nomination is approved you can do your occupational training with that organisation for the time remaining on your visa.
You do not have to apply for a new visa, as long as you continue to do the training program your visa was approved for.
If your occupational training program changes, you need to submit a new visa application.
If your sponsor ends your training you must tell us. You may try to find another organisation to sponsor you.
Apply for a new visa
If you want to apply for a new Training visa (subclass 407) you will need continuing sponsorship. You may have to provide an explanation of why you were unable to complete the training within the initial training period.
I have worked with many people who get rejected time and time again by employers for not having the ‘right experience’. A question I am often asked by people coming over to New Zealand to live and work is can you help me find a job in New Zealand.
Well no, I can’t help you find a job in New Zealand because I am not a recruitment agent. What I can help you do is find your own job in New Zealand.
This is the ultimate guide for people looking to find work in New Zealand.
Some things to think about are:
Talking to people already living and working in New Zealand is key. LinkedIn is a great tool to use to network and ask questions. Find someone who is already in the job you do. Most Kiwis are very friendly and will help you if they can. Make sure your questions are specific and to the point to make it easier for them to help you.
They may be able to help you:
There are all sorts of jobs all over the country. Our smaller regions in New Zealand are screaming out for top talent, especially in skill short areas like building and construction. MBIE or ‘Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’ recently developed a phone app which gives you information on all regions across New Zealand. Such as income versus living costs, employment opportunities and much more. You can access it here.
Each of New Zealand’s cities, towns and provinces have their positives and negatives. You may be tempted to move to one of the cities as you suspect that is where all of the jobs are. This is not always true. You can find a large range of jobs outside of the major cities.
You can find two articles here, on the best places in New Zealand to live, including the best places in New Zealand to raise a family.
New Zealand CVs or resumes might be very different to the ones you use in other countries. Employers want the following things;
Think about what kind of questions an employer might ask you. Most companies in New Zealand will ask you behavioural based interview questions. Find out more about these here.
Think about what questions you want to ask about a company.
You won’t be offered an interview for every job that you apply for, so don’t worry. If you are offered an interview, well done! Here are some tips to help you make a good impression.
It may take months for you to find a job that is going to be suitable for you. Sometimes up to six months! Don’t despair and continue to network and meet people, this will help.It may take at least six months of job hunting before you get a job offer.
It may take at least six months of job hunting before you get a job offer. When you are offered a job, your employer will usually make a verbal offer first. They will then send you an employment agreement, which will outline the details of your employment. Make sure everything in the contract is legal. You can find NZ employment laws here.
It is illegal in New Zealand for an employer to ask you to work without a contract.
Congratulations! Well done! Horray! You have a job. Here are some tips to prepare you for your first day.
