Subclass 403 MATES stream study and English requirements: LIN 24/072

The Migration (Specification of Study and English Language Requirements (Subclass 403 (MATES Stream) Visa) (LIN 24/072) Instrument 2024 was signed on 8 November 2024 by Tony Burke, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Section 3 lists the provisions it is made under: item 4(a) of the table in paragraph 1234(3F)(c) of Schedule 1, and paragraphs 403.261(1)(a) and (b) and subclauses 403.261(2), 403.262(1) and 403.262(2) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994. Under section 2 it commenced at the same time as the Migration Amendment (Mobility Arrangements for Talented Early-professionals Scheme) Regulations 2024, whose commencement table records 12 November 2024.

The explanatory statement gives its purpose as setting out the requirements an applicant must satisfy to make a valid application for a MATES stream visa and the criteria for grant. It records that the stream gives effect to Australia’s commitment under the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement with India, that an applicant must hold a valid passport issued by the Republic of India, and that the Office of Impact Analysis assessment noted 3,000 places per program year.

Institutions, qualifications and industries

Under section 6, the applicant must have graduated from an institution listed in Schedule 1. Schedule 1 lists 100 Indian institutions, from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (item 1) to Periyar University (item 100), including Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of Technology, All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. The full list is in the instrument.

Under section 7, a qualification is specified if it is mentioned in Schedule 2, was conferred or awarded by a Schedule 1 institution, and is equivalent to an AQF level 7 degree or higher qualification. Schedule 2 lists:

• Bachelor Degree (item 1);
• Bachelor Degree (Honours/ Research) (item 2);
• Postgraduate Diploma (item 4);
• Masters (all) (item 5); and
• Doctoral Degree (all) (item 6).

The registered text of Schedule 2 has no item 3.

Section 8 specifies the related industries: renewable energy, mining, engineering, information communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology and agricultural technology.

English language tests and scores

Section 9 specifies five tests and section 10 applies the scores in Schedule 3. The test components are listening, reading, speaking and writing (section 4).

Required English test scores (Schedule 3)

Test	Overall	Each component
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)	At least 169	At least 154
IELTS	At least 6	At least 5
Occupational English Test (OET)	–	At least C
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE)	At least 50	At least 36
TOEFL iBT	At least 64	Listening and reading at least 4; speaking and writing at least 14

When the test must be taken

Under section 11, the test must have been taken in the 1 year immediately before the day the visa application is made, if evidence of the test is provided with the application, or otherwise in the 1 year immediately before the day a decision is made on the application. Unless the test is an OET, the scores must be achieved in a single sitting.