Benefits of MATES (Subclass 403)

• Gain international work experience in Australia
• Include family members in the visa application
• No need for sponsorship or job offer
• Unrestricted multiple entries to Australia
• Opportunity to expand professional network
• Access to diverse employment opportunities in Australia

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 (Subclass 403) Requirements

• Create an ImmiAccount for ballot registration.
• Hold a valid Indian passport.
• Possess a PAN card issued by the Government of India.
• Be 18 to 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of ballot registration.
• Must not have previously registered for the MATES ballot.
• Have a valid email address.
• Agree to all declarations in the registration form.
• Pay AUD 25 registration fee.

After Ballot Selection – Additional Requirements:

• Hold a recent qualification (within 2 years of ballot opening).
• Qualification must be equivalent to an Australian bachelor’s degree or higher:
• Bachelor’s, Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s, or Doctoral degree.
• Qualification must relate to eligible fields:
• Renewable Energy, Engineering, Mining, ICT, FinTech, AI, Agri-Tech.
• Degrees must be from top 100 institutions in NIRF India Rankings.
• Meet English language test requirements in a single sitting, valid within 1 year.
• Show financial capacity via:
• Job offer from an Australian organization or
• Proof of sufficient funds.
• Fulfil health and character requirements (including police clearance).
• Have adequate health insurance covering treatment and transportation.
• Must not have had a previous visa refusal or cancellation.
• Visa applications must be made from outside Australia.
• Can include eligible family members in the final visa application.

To be eligible to register for a MATES visa, you will first need to apply for the MATES Ballot. In order to do so, you must:

• Create an ImmiAccount for yourself.
• Hold a valid Indian passport.
• Should have a pan card number. This should have been issued by the Indian government.
• Your age should be between 18 to 30 years (both years inclusive) at the beginning of the ballot registration.
• You should not have already registered in the MATES ballot earlier.
• You need to have a valid email address.
• You must agree to all the declarations mentioned in the registration form.
• You will need to pay the registration fee of AUD 25 for the ballot.

Once you are selected in the ballot you will have to meet some additional requirements for the grant of subclass 403 MATES stream visa.

Additional Requirements

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

Your qualification must relate to one of the following industrial fields:

• Renewable energy
• Engineering
• Mining
• Information Communication Technology
• Financial Technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Agriculture Technology

The eligible educational institutions are the top 100 in the list of the Indian Ministry of Education’s National Institutional Ranking Framework India Rankings overall list.

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:

• Date of submitting your valid visa application
• Or the day a decision on your application is made.

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.

Including family members

You will be able to include the eligible members of your family unit for example your spouse or partner in the ballot separately. You do not need to give the details of the family members in your ballot registration.
Once selected in the ballot, you can apply for a sub class 403 visa  and you will become the main applicant  for your visa application. Therefore, as the main applicant, you will be able to include your members of your family unit in the application.
 

MATES (Subclass 403) 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.
If you have the required eligible qualification from an approved institution then you can register for the MATES ballot in Australia. There are various criteria requirements that you will need to fulfil in order to apply for a MATES visa. All of this can become overwhelming. For this reason, our team of qualified professionals at immigration buddy will prepare a customized checklist depending upon your individual conditions. This will help in making the application process simple and quick for you.
We will ensure to follow up your application even after its submission and keep you up to date about the progress of your application.
Book your consultation with us today and start your journey towards your bright future in Australia.
 

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.
 

Frequently Asked Questions