MATES Visa Australia (Subclass 403): Apply Today

The MATES visa (Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-Professionals Scheme) is a unique Australian initiative designed to strengthen ties with India by offering young, highly-educated Indian professionals the opportunity to live and work in Australia for up to two years.

MATES visa Australia (Mobility arrangement for talented early professionals’ scheme) is specifically designed for Indian nationals. This visa allows the Indian graduates and those with early career professionals in the country for up to 2 years. The visa acts as a temporary mobility pathway for Indian graduates in the early years of their career to live and work in the country. The professionals should have the necessary knowledge and skills in the targeted fields of study.

The department grants up to 3000 subclass 403 MATES stream visas every year. The Indian nationals holding a MATES visa can live and work in Australia for a period of 2 years. With this visa, you will be allowed to gain employment in Australia and gain valuable work experience in your area of expertise.

If you are an eligible Indian national applying for a Mates visa, then you will have to go through a pre application ballot system. For this, you must first register the ballot. If you are selected in the ballot, then you will be invited to apply for the visa. You cannot apply for the visa without an invitation.

MATES Visa Benefits

The key benefits of the MATES visa are as follows:

International work experience: The visa will allow you to work in the Australian job market and gain valuable international work experience which will enhance your professional profile.
Inclusion of family members: You will be able to include the members of your family unit in your application for a MATES visa.
No requirement for sponsorship: You do not need a sponsor to apply for this visa nor is there a requirement of a job offer.
Multiple entries: The visa will allow you unrestricted travel in and out of the country.
Career expansion: It will allow you to expand your professional horizon and build networks within the Australian economy.
Diverse employment opportunities: The MATES visa will give you access to the Australian job market that will allow you to explore the different employment opportu

MATES Visa Requirements

Core Eligibility

To apply for the MATES visa (Subclass 403), applicants must first register for a random ballot process, which incurs a small fee of AUD 25, and only those successfully selected in this ballot are eligible to proceed with the formal application. Furthermore, candidates must be between 18 and 30 years of age and hold a valid Indian passport, and they are required to be physically outside Australia at the time of lodging their visa application.

Qualification

You should have recently graduated from an eligible educational institution with an eligible qualification. You must have obtained your qualification within 2 years of the beginning of the ballot registration opening period. Your qualification must be equal to an Australian Qualifications Framework bachelor’s degree. This means that you should be holding a: Bachelor’s degree, Bachelor’s degree in (honors/ research), Postgraduate diploma, Masters degree, Doctoral degree.

English language requirements

You must meet the English language test requirements. You should have obtained the desired result in the language test either one year before. It is important that you have achieved the required test score in a single sitting.

Financial Capacity

You should be able to support yourself and your family members when you are in the country. You should establish that you have the financial capacity to take care of your expenses while you are living in the country. To prove this, you can show the evidence of an employment offer with an Australian organization. In case you do not have an employment offer, you will have to show that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay.

Health and character requirements

It is important to meet the health and character requirements, if the members of your family unit are going along with you, they also need a health examination. You and the members who are above 16 years of age will have to get a police clearance certificate in order to meet the character requirements.

Health insurance

You will need to have an adequate health insurance policy for the duration of your stay and your health insurance should cover you medically for the necessary treatments including transportation.

Visa refusals or cancellations

You should not have previously refused a visa application or a cancellation of the visa. In order to register for the ballot you can be inside or outside the country. But, you can only apply for a subclass 403 from outside Australia.

Work visa subclasses are divided into two groups: temporary work visas and permanent (or provisional) skilled migration visas.

Temporary Work Visas

Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482)

This was the replacement of the temporary skill shortage visa by the skills in demand visa, that came into effect in December 2024. The approved sponsor can sponsor you for up to four years either in the core skills, specialist skills or Labour Agreement Stream.

Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417 and 462)

The visa is targeted at young adults, usually within the age of 18 to 30 years (or even 35 years for certain nationals). This allows you to travel and work in Australia for one year, extendable through suitable employment.

Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485)

This visa allows international graduates to stay in Australia on a temporary basis and work after completing an approved course in Australia. This visa stream is available for a period of time determined by the qualification that you have.

Training visa (Subclass 407)

The purpose of this visa is to allow the applicant to train in an organised and workplace based way to improve their skills in the job that they have or in a professional development program for up to two years.

Permanent and Provisional Work Visas

Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189)

Points-based visa for skilled worker invitations that needs neither nomination nor sponsorship. It allows obtaining Australian permanent residence wherever you want in Australia, if your job falls under one of the relevant lists and you have enough points.

Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)

This permanent, points-tested visa is dependent on nomination from an Australian state or territory government. The nominated candidates will earn some additional points to the overall 65 points requirement. They also agree to live in the nominating state for some time.

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186)

This permanent visa enables an employer from Australia to nominate a skilled worker in an existing job position. The two streams included in the permanent visa program are the direct entry stream and the temporary residence transition stream.

Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (Subclass 494)

Temporary employer sponsored visa to regional Australia, which is valid for a period of five years. This temporary visa then qualifies for the Subclass 191 visa, after residing in the region on this visa for a period of three years and satisfying income criteria.

MATES Visa Processing Time

Depending on the completeness and the complexity of your visa application, the processing time period for a MATES visa is 10 to 20 weeks.

MATES (Subclass 403) Application Process

Before application

You can only apply for this visa if you are registered in the MATES palette and are randomly selected to apply. Your passport should be up to date, and other requirements should have been met before you apply.

Gathering documentation

It is essential to prepare and gather all necessary documents in advance.

Accurate information has to be provided regarding your identification documents, personal details, passport issue, marriage, change of name, PAN card ID, and other national identity cards.

You will also need to provide the evidence regarding your qualification. This will include a copy of the relevant qualification certificates, academic transcripts, your resume, etc.
English language proficiency documents, which prove that you have achieved the required result in the language test, will also be needed.
You will need to provide evidence that you can support yourself and your family members during your stay in Australia. This will include a job offer or an employment contract with an Australian firm.
You will also need the necessary documentation of your partner. For dependents under 18 years of age, you will need to provide identity documents and proof of your relationship with them, for example, a birth certificate.

Apply for the visa

After completing the preparation of all the documents, you can apply for this visa if you have the invitation. You will have 30 days from your selection day to complete and submit the visa application online. Therefore, you must apply for the visa on or before the date specified in your notification of selection letter. Access the online visa application form through the link generated in your ballot registration or through your ImmiAccount. After completing the online application form, you will attach all the evidence and pay the visa application charge.

After application

You will do continuous follow ups after submitting your application. In case the department requires more information from you, you will need to provide it quickly to avoid any delays in the processing of your visa. You must be outside the Australian season when your application is being made. You will receive the decision writing along with a visa grant number and your visa conditions.