Everything You Need to Know About Australia’s MATES Program for Indian Graduates

In November 2024, the Australian government introduced new rules for the Subclass 403 (MATES Stream) visa, aimed at young professionals from overseas. The updated requirements specify that applicants must have qualifications from a list of approved foreign universities and be trained in fields like engineering, technology, and renewable energy. To qualify, applicants also need to meet minimum scores in English language tests such as IELTS or TOEFL. These changes are intended to make sure that people coming to work in Australia under this visa are skilled and able to communicate effectively in English.

What is Australia’s MATES Scheme for Indian Nationals

Australia has announced the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) for Indian nationals. This new initiative allows Indian graduates and early career professionals to live and work in Australia for up to two years.

Starting from December 2024, eligible candidates from India’s top universities can register for the Temporary Work (International Relations) (Subclass 403) visa through a pre-application ballot. Each year, 3,000 temporary visa places will be available, ensuring a fair and transparent selection process. Participants in the scheme will also have the ability to bring their dependents along.

MATES is poised to further strengthen the strong people-to-people ties between Australia and India, offering Indian nationals the chance to gain valuable work experience in their fields of expertise. Additionally, this initiative will benefit various Australian industries by providing access to highly skilled graduates in sectors such as renewable energy, mining, engineering, information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology, and agricultural technology.

Must know regulations about Australia’s MATES Scheme

Eligibility for Primary Applicants

To qualify, applicants must:

• Apply from outside Australia,
• Have never previously held a Subclass 403 visa under the MATES stream,
• Hold a valid Indian passport,
• Be aged 18–30,
• Register in a pre-application ballot process,
• Meet specified language requirements and have qualifications related to key industries from recognized institutions.

Eligibility for Secondary Applicants

Secondary applicants (e.g., family members) can apply whether in or outside Australia but cannot be in immigration clearance. They are not required to join the ballot and have unrestricted work rights in Australia.

Visa Conditions

Primary visa holders must adhere to the following conditions:

• Condition 8303: No involvement in disruptive or violent activities.
• Condition 8501: Must maintain health insurance.
• Condition 8516: Must continue meeting the eligibility criteria for the visa. Additional conditions, including Conditions 8301, 8502, 8503, 8525, and 8526, may also be applied as needed

Duration and Availability

Visa holders have 12 months from the visa approval date to enter Australia and can stay up to 24 months from their first entry. The program offers 3,000 spots annually, excluding secondary applicants from the cap.

Registration Fee for MATES Subclass 403 Visa Pre-Application Process

Each registration for the ballot in the Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) Subclass 403 visa pre-application process costs $25.

Approved Foreign Educational Institutions

To be eligible for the MATES Stream visa, applicants must have completed their studies at one of the internationally recognized institutions within the past two years from the start of the ballot registration open period. This list predominantly includes well-regarded universities and technical institutes, such as various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and other leading universities across India.

No.	Institution	City	State
1	Indian Institute of Technology Madras	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
2	Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru	Bengaluru	Karnataka
3	Indian Institute of Technology Bombay	Mumbai	Maharashtra
4	Indian Institute of Technology Delhi	New Delhi	Delhi
5	Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur	Kanpur	Uttar Pradesh
6	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Kharagpur	West Bengal
7	All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi	New Delhi	Delhi
8	Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee	Roorkee	Uttarakhand
9	Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati	Guwahati	Assam
10	Jawaharlal Nehru University	New Delhi	Delhi
11	Banaras Hindu University	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
12	Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad	Hyderabad	Telangana
13	Jamia Millia Islamia	New Delhi	Delhi
14	Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal	Manipal	Karnataka
15	University of Delhi	Delhi	Delhi
16	Aligarh Muslim University	Aligarh	Uttar Pradesh
17	Jadavpur University	Kolkata	West Bengal
18	Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham	Coimbatore	Tamil Nadu
19	Vellore Institute of Technology	Vellore	Tamil Nadu
20	Anna University	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
21	S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
22	Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
23	Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani	Pilani	Rajasthan
24	Siksha O Anusandhan	Bhubaneswar	Odisha
25	University of Hyderabad	Hyderabad	Telangana
26	Calcutta University	Kolkata	West Bengal
27	Homi Bhabha National Institute	Mumbai	Maharashtra
28	Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology	Bhubaneswar	Odisha
29	Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar	Gandhinagar	Gujarat
30	Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
31	National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli	Tiruchirappalli	Tamil Nadu
32	Chandigarh University	Mohali	Punjab
33	Indian Institute of Technology Indore	Indore	Madhya Pradesh
34	National Institute of Technology Rourkela	Rourkela	Odisha
35	Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad	Dhanbad	Jharkhand
36	JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research	Mysuru	Karnataka
37	Savitribai Phule Pune University	Pune	Maharashtra
38	Kerala University	Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala
39	Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research	Puducherry	Pondicherry
40	Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation University	Vaddeswaram	Andhra Pradesh
41	Andhra University	Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh
42	Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune	Pune	Maharashtra
43	Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology	Patiala	Punjab
44	Bharathiar University	Coimbatore	Tamil Nadu
45	Lovely Professional University	Phagwara	Punjab
46	National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal	Surathkal	Karnataka
47	Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy	Thanjavur	Tamil Nadu
48	Indian Institute of Technology Ropar	Rupnagar	Punjab
49	Amity University	Gautam Budh Nagar	Uttar Pradesh
50	Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education	Srivilliputhur	Tamil Nadu
51	Cochin University of Science and Technology	Cochin	Kerala
52	Symbiosis International	Pune	Maharashtra
53	National Institute of Technology Warangal	Warangal	Telangana
54	National Institute of Technology Calicut	Kozhikode	Kerala
55	Bharathidasan University	Tiruchirappalli	Tamil Nadu
56	Institute of Chemical Technology	Mumbai	Maharashtra
57	Gauhati University	Guwahati	Assam
58	Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University	Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
59	UPES	Dehradun	Uttarakhand
60	Panjab University	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
61	Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata	Mohanpur	West Bengal
62	Jamia Hamdard	New Delhi	Delhi
63	Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth	Pune	Maharashtra
64	Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali	Mohali	Punjab
65	University of Madras	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
66	Delhi Technological University	New Delhi	Delhi
67	Mahatma Gandhi University	Kottayam	Kerala
68	Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur	Jodhpur	Rajasthan
69	University of Kashmir	Srinagar	Jammu and Kashmir
70	Osmania University	Hyderabad	Telangana
71	Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research	Wardha	Maharashtra
72	Indian Institute of Technology Mandi	Mandi	Himachal Pradesh
73	Indian Institute of Technology Patna	Patna	Bihar
74	All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh	Rishikesh	Uttarakhand
75	Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata	Kolkata	West Bengal
76	Alagappa University	Karaikudi	Tamil Nadu
77	Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur	Nagpur	Maharashtra
78	Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal	Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh
79	Graphic Era University	Dehradun	Uttarakhand
80	Punjab Agricultural University	Ludhiana	Punjab
81	Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering	Kalavakkam	Tamil Nadu
82	Malaviya National Institute of Technology	Jaipur	Rajasthan
83	All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur	Jodhpur	Rajasthan
84	SVKM`s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies	Mumbai	Maharashtra
85	Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
86	Mysore University	Mysuru	Karnataka
87	University of Jammu	Jammu	Jammu and Kashmir
88	King George`s Medical University	Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
89	Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences	Solan	Himachal Pradesh
90	Christ University	Bengaluru	Karnataka
91	Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
92	National Institute of Technology Silchar	Silchar	Assam
93	National Institute of Technology Durgapur	Durgapur	West Bengal
94	Gujarat University	Ahmedabad	Gujarat
95	Shiv Nadar University	Gautam Buddha Nagar	Uttar Pradesh
96	Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
97	Acharya Nagarjuna University	Guntur	Andhra Pradesh
98	Tata Institute of Social Sciences	Mumbai	Maharashtra
99	All India Institute of Medical Sciences Patna	Patna	Bihar
100	Periyar University	Salem	Tamil Nadu

Qualifications for MATES

These degrees must be equivalent to Australia’s AQF standards and awarded by one of the institutions listed above.

• Bachelor Degree
• Bachelor Degree (Honours/ Research)
• Postgraduate Diploma
• Masters (all)
• Doctoral Degree (all)

Minimum English Language Test Scores required for MATES Scheme

For the Subclass 403 visa under the MATES stream, applicants must meet the following language test requirements:

1. The language test must be taken within one year:
   • Before applying for the visa, if test evidence is included with the application.
   • Before the decision on the visa, if test evidence is not included with the application.
2. Test scores (except for OET) must be achieved in a single sitting.

Priority Industries for MATES Scheme

• Renewable energy

• Mining
• Engineering
• Information communications technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Financial technology
• Agricultural technology

Do you qualify for the MATES Scheme 

Ask a MARA Agent 

With only 3,000 spots available each year, Australia’s MATES program for Indian graduates is an exceptional opportunity, made even more competitive by its ballot process. To even qualify for this ballot, candidates must meet specific requirements, including degrees from recognized institutions, minimum English language scores, and relevant experience in fields like IT, engineering, and renewable energy. This selection process highlights the exclusive nature of the program, making it a prime pathway for skilled graduates eager to gain work experience in Australia’s top industries.

Given the complexity and high demand, consulting with a registered MARA agent can be a critical advantage. MARA agents are immigration specialists who understand every detail of the MATES program and can expertly guide you through each stage, from meeting the eligibility requirements to strengthening your application. With their assistance, you can reduce the risk of application errors and maximize your chances of success in this prestigious, highly competitive process.