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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Australia’s MATES pathway is a temporary work option for eligible Indian graduates and early-career professionals, but the November 1 date in the headline refers to a ballot that has already closed. The 2025–26 ballot ran from November 1 to December 14, 2025; the official pages reviewed do not confirm when a later ballot will open. MATES applicants must first be selected in a ballot, then apply separately for a Subclass 403 visa.
What is Australia’s MATES scheme?
MATES stands for Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme. It is a stream of Australia’s Temporary Work (International Relations) visa, Subclass 403, for eligible Indian graduates and early-career professionals. A granted visa can allow the holder to live and work in Australia for up to two years, according to the Department of Home Affairs’ MATES visa overview.
The scheme targets people with relevant qualifications in renewable energy, mining, engineering, information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology, or agricultural technology. A listed field alone does not guarantee eligibility: applicants must also meet the ballot rules and the visa criteria.
When does the MATES ballot open?
The November 1 date refers to the 2025–26 ballot, not a new opening in 2026. Home Affairs lists registration for that cycle as November 1–December 14, 2025, with selections scheduled from December 15, 2025, through June 30, 2026. That cycle has ended. The official page does not establish dates for the next ballot, so check the current Home Affairs MATES ballot information before making plans.
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Home Affairs says the program has up to 3,000 places for primary applicants per program year. Family members are not included in that primary-applicant cap. In the first ballot, which opened December 9, 2024, and closed January 7, 2025, the department recorded 6,656 valid registrations, according to its 2025 program administration report.
Who can register for the ballot?
Ballot conditions are cycle-specific. The eligibility page for the cycle described by Home Affairs requires an applicant to meet all of these conditions:
- Be an Indian national with a valid Indian passport and PAN.
- Be 18–30 inclusive at the beginning of the ballot registration period.
- Have graduated on or after November 1, 2023, with an eligible qualification from an institution listed in the Top 100 of the NIRF India Rankings Overall 2024.
- Have an ImmiAccount and a valid email address, and pay the ballot registration fee.
Review the live Home Affairs ballot eligibility rules for the cycle you intend to enter. A past cycle’s age, graduation-date or institution rules should not be assumed to apply unchanged to a future one.
How the ballot and visa application work
MATES has two separate stages. Registering does not amount to a visa application, and being selected does not itself grant a visa.
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- Register for the ballot: submit the required details and pay the registration fee during an open registration period.
- Wait for selection: places are allocated through random selection. Only a person who is selected and receives a selection notification can proceed to the visa stage.
- Apply for the visa: submit a separate Subclass 403 MATES stream application and satisfy the visa criteria. Selection is not a guarantee that the visa will be granted.
The ballot steps and conditions are set out on the ballot eligibility page; visa requirements are described in the Subclass 403 MATES overview.
What does MATES cost?
| Payment | Amount and what it covers |
|---|---|
| Ballot registration | AUD 25, payable online; non-refundable, including if the person is not selected, according to Home Affairs’ ballot instructions. |
| Subclass 403 MATES visa application | From AUD 470, according to the Home Affairs visa page. This is a starting charge, not a guaranteed total cost. |
The ballot fee is separate from the visa charge. Fees can change, so confirm the amount displayed by Home Affairs when registering or applying. The ballot payment does not improve the chance of selection or ensure a visa grant.
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What other visa requirements apply?
The Home Affairs MATES applicant fact sheet says applicants need a relevant bachelor degree or higher from an eligible institution, English proficiency, financial capacity, adequate health-insurance arrangements, and must meet health and character requirements and other visa criteria.
The fact sheet gives an English benchmark of IELTS overall 6, with no component below 5, or an equivalent test. Check Home Affairs’ current guidance for accepted equivalent tests and evidence requirements before applying.
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Can MATES applicants bring family?
Eligible family members may register for a ballot in their own right. A selected primary applicant may also include eligible family members in the visa application. Those family members do not count toward the stated annual cap of up to 3,000 primary-applicant places. Check the visa rules for the definition of an eligible family member and the evidence required.
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What to check before spending money or making plans
- Confirm that a new registration period has actually been announced; the 2025–26 dates have passed.
- Read the current cycle’s ballot rules, including age, qualification, graduation date and institution requirements.
- Budget separately for the ballot registration fee and any later visa application charge.
- Prepare evidence for English proficiency, financial capacity, health insurance, health and character checks, and the relevant qualification.
- Do not treat ballot registration or selection as a visa grant, a job offer, or confirmation of eligibility for a different Australian migration pathway.
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