Sydney: Australia is set to implement new regulations regarding stay back and upper age limits for foreign students starting July 1 this year. The new regulations are expected to benefit students from India.

Under the updated rules, the maximum age limit for students will be 35 years. Additionally, upon successful completion of a recognized course in Australia, students from other countries will be eligible for a temporary graduate visa, enabling them to bring their families to Australia and work unlimited hours.

Furthermore, Australia has renamed certain work streams, with the post-study work and graduate work streams now referred to as the post-vocational education work stream and post-higher education work stream, respectively.

Applicants with an associate degree, diploma, or trade background are advised to apply through the post-vocational education work stream, while those with undergraduate and advanced degrees should opt for the post-higher education work stream. The upper age limit for applicants in the post-vocational education work stream has been reduced to 35 years, with a stay-back period of up to 18 months. A similar age limit applies to the post-higher education work stream.

Meanwhile, the existing stay-back periods outlined in the Australia-India agreement will remain unchanged. Indian graduates will continue to enjoy longer stay-back periods compared to students from other countries, with provisions for two years for general graduates, three years for first-class honours graduates in specific fields, three years for postgraduates, and four years for PhD holders.