Australia-India Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement: A New Frontier of Opportunities for Indian Graduates
The establishment of the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement between the two countries has further deepened the bilateral relationship between Australia and India. This landmark pact may enhance collaboration on migration matters, thereby offering Indian graduates and early professionals tremendous opportunities. Here is an in-depth view of what this arrangement holds for them and how it benefits Indian nationals.
What is a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement?
The establishment of the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement between the two countries has further deepened the bilateral relationship between Australia and India. This landmark pact may enhance collaboration on migration matters, thereby offering Indian graduates and early professionals tremendous opportunities. Here is an in-depth view of what this arrangement holds for them and how it benefits Indian nationals.
What is a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement?
The MMPA is thus a step towards deepening the relations between Australia and India in terms of migration and mobility. This agreement embodies existing visa streams being retained and further strengthened with one new initiative, the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme for Indian graduates and professionals. In addition to that, it strengthen business ties and allows for an extension of up to five years for all new subclass 600 business visitor stream visas.
Key Features of the MMPA
Enhanced Mobility Pathways: MMPA reaffirms and enhances visa options for students, visitors, business people, and other professionals.
New MATES Scheme: Introduces a new mobility pathway for Indian graduates and early-career professionals in specific sectors.
Increased Visa Validity: Extends the validity of subclass 600 business visitor stream visas to up to five years.
The Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES).
One of the salient features of the MMPA has been the MATES scheme, which is aimed at facilitating the mobility of young Indian professionals to Australia. Details regarding its break up are given below:
Eligibility Criteria for MATES
Age Limit: Applicants must be 30 years old or younger on the date of application.
Previous Participation: Those who have previously participated in MATES are not eligible to apply again.
English Language Proficiency: Applicants must achieve a minimum overall score of 6 in IELTS, with no less than 5 in any individual module.
Educational Qualification: Applicants must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields:
- Renewable Energy
- Mining
- Engineering
- Information Communications Technology (ICT)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Financial Technology (FinTech)
- Agricultural Technology (AgriTech)
Graduation Timeline: Applicants must have completed their studies within the last two years from an eligible educational institution.
Key Details of the MATES Scheme
No Australian Employer Sponsorship: An applicant does not need to seek the sponsorship of an Australian employer for this particular visa category called MATES.
Permissible Activities: The members are eligible to stay along with working in Australia for a time period of 2 years. There is no requirement under the scheme to work in one’s principal area of study; however, it aims at providing support regarding skill expansion and networking in listed sectors.
Family Members: MATES participants are allowed to bring dependants including spouses and children. These dependent family members will be granted the same work rights as the participant in Australia. Dependants will not be counted in the annual cap of 3,000 places.
Visa Duration: Visa holders must enter Australia within 12 months from the visa grant date and may stay for up to 24 months from their initial entry. The visa permits multiple entries.
Further Extension: The applicant can apply further for another visa and continue to stay; however, he / she can’t again apply for MATES.
Costs: Visa subclass and details of costs will be published shortly. Additional costs will be payable for including dependants, etc. and other rising expenses while making an application.
Implementation and Further Developments
An Implementation Protocol is currently in the works, designed to spell out the modalities of the MATES scheme and generally ensure that it will be a process that is fair and equitable towards all claimants. Full implementation of MATES has not been precisely located on the timeline yet; however, updates will be provided as more information is received.
Conclusion
The Australian–India Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement is very exciting for Indian graduates and professionals. Opening opportunities for mobility and work in Australia will, under this vision, be much more collaboratively engaged between the two nations. Indian nationals seeking career opportunities in Australia should be encouraged to continue monitoring the MAC scheme and be ready to seize this new opportunity.
