Employer sponsorship is no longer necessary for Indians seeking employment in Australia to obtain Australian work experience. Indian graduates with degrees from approved universities who are between the ages of 18 and 30 are permitted to work in Australia for two years. Without initially getting a job offer from an Australian employer, they must apply for the ballot and, if chosen, apply for a work visa.
The much-awaited MATES — Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme — Ballot registration is now open. The MATES program helps eligible Indian nationals to live and work in Australia for up to two years. It allows skilled Indian graduates and early-career professionals to gain valuable work experience in Australia without employer sponsorship.
To apply for a MATES visa, eligible applicants must first register in the ballot. The ballot for the 2025–26 program year opened on 1 November 2025 and closes on 14 December 2025. Those selected through the random ballot will be notified and invited to apply for the visa. The ballot registration fee is AUD 25. Each year, up to 3,000 primary applicants are selected through a ballot process.
Eligibility for Australian MATES Visa
You must have graduated on or after 1 November 2023 with an eligible qualification from a Top 100 institution on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) India Rankings Overall 2024 List.
All those with a Bachelor’s degree, a Postgraduate diploma, a Master’s degree and a Doctoral degree can apply if they are between 18 and 30 years on the date the ballot registration open period commences. You must be outside of Australia when you apply for the visa and when we decide on your application. You must not have previously entered Australia on a Subclass 403 MATES stream visa.
Your qualification must relate to one of these industries: renewable energy, mining, engineering, information communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology, or agricultural technology.
MATES is a temporary mobility pathway for Indian graduates and early career professionals with knowledge and skills in targeted fields of study to live and work in Australia for up to 2 years. Indian graduates can use the MATES visa route to investigate employment opportunities in Australia before deciding whether to relocate there using other visas.