Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES)

Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) 

The Government will implement a new Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) program for Indian nationals from 1 November 2024. MATES will provide a new mobility pathway for 3,000 Indian graduates and early career professionals (aged 18 to 30 years at the time of application), with knowledge and skills in targeted fields of study to live and work in Australia for up to two years. The visa will have a pre-application (ballot) charge of $25 and an application charge of $365, both of which will be indexed to the consumer price index in future years.

The Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) is a new scheme, established under the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA) between India and Australia. MATES gives Indian university graduates and early career professionals the opportunity to live and work in Australia for up to two years, and to gain employment and valuable experience in their areas of expertise.  The scheme will be 3000 places for primary applicants per program year. Primary applicants will be able to apply to bring dependents. Dependents will be provided work rights and do not count towards the annual cap.

The scheme has no set timeframe for commencement.

Eligibility:

MATES will be open to Indian nationals who:

• are aged 30 or younger (inclusive) at the time of application;
• have not previously participated in MATES;
• have proficient English language skills (overall IELTS or equivalent score of at least 6, with a minimum score of 5 for each of the four parts);
• have graduated within 2 years from an eligible educational institution at the time of application; and
• hold a qualification (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in one of the following:
  – renewable energy
  – mining
  – engineering
  – Information Communications Technology (ICT)
  – artificial intelligence (AI)
  – financial technology (FinTech)
  – agricultural technology (AgriTech).