Most international students studying in Australia have heard of the 485 Graduate visa but very few have heard of the Recognised Graduate 476 visa. The main reason for this is that it is only designed for Engineering graduates. 

It is commonly confused as a visa only being available for foreign graduate Engineers but in fact it has a great benefit for nearly every engineering student studying at an engineering faculty in Australia. 

Of course most international students studying here for minimum two years Masters programs or Bachelor Degrees in engineering can apply for the Graduate 485 visa upon completion to remain in Australia but what if you have only finished a one year engineering program? Then this could be the visa for you.

The 476 visa has only 3 main components;

1)    Have a Engineering qualification in the past 24 months at a recognized institution; and

2)    Have at least the Competent level of English; and

3)    Have not turned 31 years of age

There in fact many recognized institutions world wide that offer courses accredited under the Washington Accord. The list below are the institutions that run accredited programs from Engineers Australia and thus any Engineering qualification from one of these institutions will meet the requirements for this visa.

For example; An international student upon the completion of the 52 week Graduate Diploma of Mining Engineering offered by the UNSW (ww.cricos.deewr.gov.au/Course/CourseDetails.aspx?CourseID=84281) would be eligible to apply.

Onshore/Offshore?

This visa can be applied when the applicant is either onshore (in Australia) or offshore. However there is one catch, they must be outside Australia when the visa is granted unless you hold a 444 visa and in this case you may have the visa granted while you are in Australia.

Unfortunately if you have held the 485 or 476 visa as the primary applicant, you cannot apply for the 476 as the primary applicant.  

There has been some discussion to completely remove this visa so if your interested make sure you get in quick as there is no word when this removal may occur.  

Australian Defence Force Academy

Australian Information Technology Engineering Centre

Australian Maritime College - a specialist unit of University of Tasmania Australian National University

Australian National University

Central Queensland University, Rockhampton campus

Charles Darwin University (Casuarina Campus)

Curtin University of Technology

Curtin University of Technology - Western Australian School of Mines

Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia Pathway

Deakin University

Singapore Pathway to Deakin University via IMC Technologies

Malaysia Pathway to Deakin University via Kolej Damansara Utame, (KDU) - Kuala Lumpur (Petaling Jaya)

Malaysia Pathway to Deakin University via Kolej Damansara Utame, (KDU) Penang

Edith Cowan University

Edith Cowan University and SMa School of Management, Singapore

Federation University

Flinders University

Griffith University Gold Coast Campus

Griffith University Nathan Campus

James Cook University, Townsville Campus

James Cook University, Singapore Campus

La Trobe University (Bundoora Campus)

La Trobe University (Bendigo Campus)

Macquarie University

Melbourne Institute of Technology

Monash University (Clayton campus)

Monash University (Caulfield Campus)

Monash University (Gippsland Campus)

Monash University (Sunway campus, Malaysia)

Murdoch University

Queensland University of Technology

RMIT University

RMIT University in partnership with the Vocational Technology Council, Hong Kong and delivered at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (HKIVE) Tsing Yi Campuse

RMIT International University Vietnam

RMIT University in partnership with Stansfield College

Southern Cross University

Swinburne University of Technology

Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia

The University of Adelaide

University of Ballarat

University of Canberra

University of Melbourne

University of New England

UNSW Australia (The University of New South Wales)

UNSW Canberra (Australian Defence Force Academy)

The University of Newcastle

Singapore Pathway via PSB Academy Pte Ltd to The University of Newcastle

The University of Queensland, St Lucia Brisbane Campus

University of South Australia

University of South Australia (Singapore pathway), in partnership with Kaplan Higher Education (formerly Asia Pacific Management Institute (APMI) Kaplan)

University of South Australia (Whyalla Campus)

University of Southern Queensland

University of the Sunshine Coast

The University of Sydney

University of Tasmania, Hobart Campus

University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)

The University of Western Australia

University of Western Sydney

University of Wollongong

University of Wollongong in Dubai Pathway