The ultimate guide for engineering grads applying for a graduate visa

Are you an overseas engineering graduate who finished an engineering course in the last two years? You may then be eligible to gain a temporary visa to Australia for 18 months. This visa is Subclass 476- Skilled-Recognised Graduate visa.

Who is eligible to apply for a Skilled-Recognised Graduate Visa?

This program applies to you if:

• you are younger than 31 years
• you have completed an eligible engineering qualification from a recognised institution in the past two years
• you have not held a Skilled — Recognised Graduate visa (Subclass 476) or a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) before (unless you were a dependent family member)
• you can have enough English language ability- overall score of 6 IELTS or 5 minimum in each of the IELTS Band (or equivalent in other tests).
• you meet health and character requirements.

Eligible Engineering Qualifications

The qualifications recognised include a Bachelor degree, a Master degree, Doctoral degree or postgraduate diploma. The majors in engineering that are recognised include:

What is a recognised institution?

Your degree has to be awarded from a recognised institution in order to be eligible for this visa. The legislation detects what is a recognised institution and that is why it is always important to check the up to date information/immigration regulations and policies prior to applying.

Currently the recognised institutions include:

• Any institution offering an Engineering qualification under the Washington Accord-
• Any other recognised institution:

What is Washington Accord?

The Washington accord is an international agreement for accreditation of undergraduate engineering degrees in the participating/signatory countries. So if your qualification was accredited by an engineering body in a signatory country, your degree will be recognised for minimum entry to practice engineering by the other countries in the Washington Accord. If your engineering qualification was offered by a university under the Washington Accord, you may want to consider applying for the skilled recognised graduate visa if you meet the other criteria. Engineers Australia is part of the Washington Accord so if you completed an Engineering degree in Australia you may be eligible for this visa too.

Accredited Programs under the Washington Accord

• EA – (Engineers Australia)
• Engineers Canada – (Engineers Canada)
• IEET – (Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan)
• HKIE – (The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers)
• EngIRE – (Engineers Ireland)
• JABEE – (Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education)
• ABEEK – (Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea)
• IPENZ – (Institution of Professional Engineers NZ)
• IES – (Institution of Engineers Singapore)
• ECSA – (Engineering Council of South Africa)
• ECUK – (Engineering Council UK)
• ABET – (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)
• Malaysia – (Board of Engineers, Malaysia)
• MUDEK – (Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs)
• AEER – Association for Engineering Education of Russia
• IESL – Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka
• NBA – National Board of Accreditation India

Useful tips if you are interested in Skilled recognised graduate visa

• Seek legal advice before lodging your application.
• You can include your family in your application even your de facto partner.
• You may apply for other onshore applications once you are in Australia on this visa.
• You and your family can live, work and study anywhere in Australia on this visa.
• Lodge a valid application by posting your application to the correct DIBP office.
• You must be outside of Australia at the time your visa is granted.

About the authors

This article was written by Marial Daniel, a solicitor and a registered migration agent (MARN: 1575322) of Teleo Immigration Specialists.

Teleo has successfully represented thousands of applicants over the past 10 years, including complex matters, visa cancellations and review applications.

The director of Teleo Immigration Specialists, Dr Etienne Hugo (MARN: 0004435) has over 17 years of Australian immigration experience and is one of only 35 accredited specialists immigration lawyers in New South Wales. Etienne is admitted as a lawyer in NSW and also the High Court of Australia. He was awarded both his BLC and LLB degrees with distinction and subsequently completed a LLD (Doctor of Law degree) from the University of Pretoria. He obtained his Immigration Law certification from UTS with distinction. Dr Hugo is a Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia and regularly presents papers on Immigration Law. He has also taught at ANU in the graduate diploma for Immigration since 2006.

If you wish to seek advice or apply for an Australian visa, please contact us on reception@teleo.com.au

DISCLAIMER: Immigration law is complex and is subject to constant regulatory and policy change by the Department of Immigration.  The information provided here may therefore be out-dated and no longer accurate.  The information provided above is a general guide only – it is not tailored for your specific circumstances or immigration purposes and you must under no circumstances rely on this information for immigration planning or the lodgement of an application with the Australian government or related bodies.  In order to ensure your eligibility is accurately assessed and to allow for tactical decision making that would best suit your desired immigration outcome, it is essential that you consult with a capable immigration advisor registered with the relevant Law Society and/or OMARA.  We direct new client enquiries to schedule an initial consultation with our office – email: reception@teleo.com.au. During an initial consultation we have the opportunity to obtain a complete set of facts that will allow us to explore all the available options.  Another reason we engage clients within the context of an initial consultation is to protect our firm from potential professional liability which may flow from providing a brief, unconsidered opinion.  As a paying client you/ us have the benefit of professional indemnity insurance. Liability limited by a scheme approved under the Professional Standards Legislation.

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