Brutal reality awaits international students who go to Australia in the hope of staying permanently

Many international students come to Australia with the hope of staying permanently.

But our latest report, Graduates in limbo: International student visa pathways after graduation, shows that the rights Australia grants international students to stay and work here after they graduate are too generous, offering many false hope.

Australia offers graduating students much longer temporary visas than our main competitors for international students, such as Canada, the UK and the US.

But many temporary graduate visa holders struggle to pursue their chosen careers in Australia, with

• only half securing full-time employment
• most working in low-skilled jobs
• and half earning less than A$53,300 a year, compared to just one-third of all graduates.

Outcomes not matching efforts

More than half of these visa holders work in jobs that don’t even require a tertiary qualification. In fact, the incomes of temporary graduate visa holders look more like those of working holiday makers, most of whom come to Australia to travel.

A new Grattan Institute survey of employers shows many are reluctant to hire international graduates, especially because of uncertainty about whether they can stay and work in Australia once their temporary graduate visa expires.

Other evidence suggests that poor English language skills, the poor education some students receive and discrimination are also important factors.

Fewer international graduates get permanent visas

A growing number of international graduates are stuck...

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