As was announced as part of the Migration Strategy the Skilled- Recognised Graduate (Sc 476) visa is seen as no longer aligning with policy priorities and will be abolished on 1 July 2024. Therefore, no further visas will be granted under this subclass and applicants who have applied but have not had their visa granted should have received an email from the Department informing them how to request a repayment of the Visa Application Charge (VAC).
Skilled Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 visas – extensions of 24 months for those engineering graduates who lost time due to border restrictions. This equates to the usual 18 months plus another 6 months. The 476 visa has been capped. This means any 476 visa already lodged won’t be finalised before 1 July 2024. Any new application before then will be invalid.
“The visa was intended to specifically support the mining and minerals sector in attracting highly sought after engineering graduates, however internationally trained engineers have alternative and preferred pathways to work in Australia. The program is now under review as part of the broader Migration Reform and capping grants of the visa in this financial year is a preliminary measure to winding down and future repealing of the visa.”
| 75 PER CENT OF APPLICATIONS PROCESSED | 90 PER CENT OF APPLICATIONS PROCESSED |
|---|---|
| 14 months | 17 months |
You must have completed your engineering qualification at a recognised educational institution. Study at an institution or college that is affiliated with a recognised institution does not satisfy this requirement.
If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States of America or the Republic of Ireland or you hold a valid passport from one of those countries, you are considered to meet the English language requirement for this visa. Otherwise, you must provide evidence of having achieved the following scores from one of the specified English language tests. You must complete your English language test before you apply.
| TEST | SCORE |
|---|---|
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) | Overall score of at least 6 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 parts |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) | Total score of at least 64 with a minimum score of 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for writing and 14 for speaking |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | Overall score of at least 50 with a minimum score of 36 for each of the 4 parts |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | At least B for each of the 4 parts |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced test | Overall at least 169 with a minimum score of at least 154 in each of the 4 test components |
The Skilled — Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476) allows recent engineering graduates of eligible universities to gain up to 18 months of skilled work experience in occupations. It is a temporary visa. Your family can also apply to join you in Australia after the visa is granted.
You may be inside or outside Australia when you apply for this visa however you must be outside of Australia when the visa is decided, unless you are a New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444). A New Zealand citizen who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444) can be in or outside Australia when the visa is decided.
Any institution offering an Engineering qualification accredited under the Washington Accord is a recognised institution. The Washington Accord is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes. It recognises the substantial equivalency of programmes accredited by those bodies and recommends that graduates of programmes accredited by any of the signatory bodies be recognised by the other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.
Alternatively, your engineering qualification must be from one of the following institutions:
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