What is MATES Migration Scheme?

About MATES Scheme: 

• Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) gives Indian university graduates and early career professionals a chance to work in Australia for two years.
• Background:
  • Australia and India entered into a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA).
  • The MMPA is a bilateral framework that supports and promotes two-way migration and mobility between the two countries, while addressing issues pertaining to illegal and irregular migration. MATES has been established under the MMPA.
• This scheme will open for professionals from December this year.
• Eligibility
  • It is open to Indian nationals who are aged 30 or younger 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 modules);
  • Have graduated within 2 years from an eligible educational institution at the time of application;
  • 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) and agricultural technology (AgriTech).
  • Graduates from the top 100 universities of India as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking 2024 will be eligible for this scheme.
• MATES participants will be able to live and work in Australia for up to 2 years.
• It will commence as a pilot programme with 3,000 places for primary applicants per programme per year.
• Participants will be able to apply to bring dependents (spouses and dependent children). Dependants will have work rights in Australia, and will not count towards the annual cap.
• Visa holders will have 12 months to make their first entry into Australia, and may stay in Australia for 24 months from the date of first entry. The visa will allow multiple entries to Australia.

Q1: What is the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)?

It is an initiative by the Indian government to assess and rank higher education institutions in the country. NIRF was adopted by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and launched by the Honorable Minister of Human Resource Development on 29 th September 2015. NIRF rankings play a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape in India, fostering excellence and continuous improvement in higher education institutions.

News: All about MATES, a new scheme for young Indians to work in Australia