It comes as great news that the Australian Government has recently reclassified the Gold Coast as a ‘Regional Centre’ to further attract international students.
Placing Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus in a great competitive position, this will allow international students who live on the Gold Coast and study at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus to access an additional year of post-study work rights and stay in Australia for a total of three years after graduating.
While Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane remain classified as ‘Major Cities’ with access to the two year Temporary Graduate Post-Study Work Visa (subclass 485) only, the Gold Coast can offer its international students an additional year in Australia through new regional provisional visas that will be introduced in November 2019.
Additionally, the Australian Government has announced that 2,000 more regional visas will be available, increasing the total number of regional visas to 25,000. Being reclassified as a ‘Regional Centre’ brings the advantage that the Gold Coast is now eligible to access the increased allocation of regional visas. Regional visa applications will also be priority processed and have access to a broader range of occupations compared with those from applicants who live in major cities.
Considered a huge win for the Gold Coast, the new classifications will come into effect on 16 November 2019.
To help you with the promotion of the Gold Coast and Griffith University as the ideal study destination, a range of new promotional materials will be landing in your inboxes soon.
