Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa – Subclass 476 (In a nutshell)

Australia is offering 476 visa to recently graduated engineering students. Any graduate who has passed the engineering program from a recognized college/university can apply for 476 visas within 2 years of graduation.

Other requirements: The graduate’s age must not be over 31 years. And should not be holding 476 or 485 visas as a primary visa holder.

Benefit? The 476 visa allows the graduate to work in Australia for 18 months. He/she can bring the family after the visa approval.

The visa approximately takes 2-3 months for processing (call us to know current processing time).

How Can Indian Engineering Graduates Apply for a 476 Visa

Any bachelor/master/doctoral/postgraduate degree holder from a recognized institute can apply for this visa. The critical requirement in the visa offering is the graduate should have a degree from a Recognised Education Institution.

The DIBP states institutions accredited under the Washington Accord are Recognised Institutions.

What is Washington Accord

The Washington Accord is an International agreement between the participant countries to streamline the process of accrediting engineering degree programs globally to facilitate young engineers to travel overseas for further studies or work.

The accord has an intricate accreditation framework for the signatory bodies to accredit engineering degree programs in their respective home countries. The signing members of the Washington Accord can consider the overseas graduates from the accredited institutions as having studied the equivalent courses of their country and eligible to meet the academic requirement of the body. This mutual recognition allows engineering graduates to study or work in the migrating country.

The Washington Accord grants international recognition to Indin engineering graduates from recognized institutions and empowers them to study or work in other member countries. This seamless mobility opens up vast opportunities in the engineering field across the world, and all member countries can benefit.

The National Board of Accreditation India (NBA), represents India in Washington Accord. It holds a permanent signatory status since 13th June 2014.

Only those degree programs offered by engineering colleges/ universities deemed as Tier 1 Institutions by NBA are eligible to be considered for recognition by other participant countries. These institutions must reapply for NBA accreditation of their courses after 13th June 2014 to be able to get recognition by other Washington Accord member countries.

Check the list below to know what is tier 1 education institutions in India eligible to get recognized under Washington Accord:

  • Institutions of National importance: Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)
  • National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
  • Central Universities
  • State Universities – Only on-campus programs are eligible
  • Private Universities
  • Deemed-to-be Universities
  • Autonomous Institutions

Eligibility Criteria for Indian Engineering Graduates to apply for 476 visa

  • If you are an engineering graduate from a recognized tier 1 institution that is reaccredited by NBA after 13th June 2014
  • If you have completed the degree program after 13th June 2014
  • If you have graduated during the validity period of your course accreditation

You are eligible to apply for a 476 visas.

If any member country wants to consider the degree of an Indian graduate before NBA got full-time signatory status in Washington Accord (i.e. 13th June 2014), they can do so at their sole discretion. As such, there is no rule in the Accord to recognize such graduates.

To know if your institution and the course is one of the accredited under Washington Accord or not, Click here

The Washington Accord accredits only undergraduate engineering degree programs, not post-graduate programs and above. Our visa experts can confirm whether or not you meet the academic requirement criteria to apply for a 476 Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa.

If you are an engineering graduate from any of these institutions, you can still apply for the 476 visas.

Other Recognised Education Institutions in India

  • Anna University—Chennai
  • Baranas Hindu University—Varanasi
  • Indian Institute of Science—Bangalore
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
  • Indian School of Mines—Dhanbad

Engineering Streams Eligible for 476 visa

The Indian engineering graduate who has specialized in any of the below engineering streams can apply for a 476 Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa.

  • Civil Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
  • Mechanical, Production and Plant Engineering
  • Mining and Material Engineering

The DIBP considers NBA-accredited engineering degree holders as Professional Engineers and eligible applicants for 476 visas. You may contemplate exploring job opportunities in Australia on this permit, which is valid for up to 18 months.

An essential piece of info for Indian Engineers interested in applying for Skilled Migration Visa

If your engineering degree does not make it in the Washington Accord, you will need to write CDR (Competency Demonstration Report) with three career episodes establishing you as a professional engineer in your specialized field.

The Washington Accord does not accredit Engineering technology and post-graduate programs. Engineers and computing professionals are treated differently in Australia.

The IT professionals do not fall into Washington Accord framework. Instead, Seoul Accord accredits Computing and Information Technology programs. India is not yet part of this accord. Alternatively, the Australian Computer Society assesses the degree of computing professionals. Indian IT professionals can get evaluated by the ACS before applying for an appropriate skilled migration visa.

Reach out to our visa experts to clarify your doubts and apply on the right grounds.