Impacts of Post-Study Work Rights Policy in Australia

Introduced in 2013, the Australian government’s post study work arrangements aim to provide international graduates from Australian universities with the opportunity to gain work experience in Australia. Acquiring host country work experience is a  key driver of international students’ choice of study destination and this strategy is considered critical to boosting international student enrolments. However, little is known about the impact of the post study work visa (visa 485).

This study aims to respond to the following questions:

• What are the key goals of the post-study work visa and how successful has the visa been in achieving its intended goals? What are the emerging issues surrounding the implementation of the post-study work visa?
• How has the post-study work visa impacted on the employment outcomes of international graduates in Australia? How is the effectiveness of the visa influenced by field of study, gender, cultural background and location (metropolitan versus regional)?
• How has the introduction of the post study work visa impacted universities in terms of enrolments, international students’ expectations and teaching and learning? How do Australian employers understand the post-study visa? What has been their response to this visa?