“What countries have the best post-study work visa options for international students?”. This is a well-asked question and for good reason. As an international student, you are not only paying for tuition fees when you choose to study abroad, but you are also paying for a chance to get international job opportunities.
What makes a country a top study destination for an international student is usually a blend of affordability and job opportunity after school. This is why we have compiled this extensive list. If you’ve been looking for the best post-study work visa for you then keep on reading.
WHAT IS A POST-STUDY WORK VISA?
A Post-study work visa is a Visa that allows international students that have graduated to work and live in a country after their studies. The graduate will have to apply for it and also have a job offer to back it up.
A country may allow international students to stay back and work, but they don’t spell out how to find work abroad after your studies, that’s all on the graduate. Every graduate must know that there are some employability skills needed to thrive in the international job market.
Let’s look at the list of countries and their Post-study work options:
For such a long time, students didn’t want to go to the UK because the stay-back period after graduation was just 6 months. You couldn’t really do a lot in 6 months and this made it hard for international students to stay back. Things changed in 2021.
A Graduate (Bachelors or Masters) Post-study work visa now lasts for 2 years. If you graduated with a Ph.D. or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. This gives you so much time to figure out what you want to do and also get a great job after school if that is your desire. You can also apply to stay longer after this period by getting an employer sponsorship scheme with a Tier 2 work visa.
The USA allows graduates with an F1 Visa to stay back after completing their studies. For this, you need to get authorization from the USCIS and also from the international student office of the school. Under this provision, you are allowed to stay back and work for one (1) year once you complete your course in the USA. If you studied and graduated with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) course or degree, then you are given three (3) years stay back option.
Since 2018, Germany has grown to be one of the greatest study hubs for International students. It boasts of providing one of the best places for a great work-life balance. Germany gives provision for students to stay back for 18 months (1 Year and 6 Months) after graduation. This applies to you as a foreign graduate with a Bachelor’s, Masters or doctorate degree. During this period, it is best to get a job as soon as possible. Your residence permit will be issued by when you obtain gainful employment.
Netherland is no doubt a beautiful and highly diverse and vibrant place for international students to thrive in. After graduating from school, you’ll have to apply for the right residence permit. This is the orientation year residence permit that gives you a stay back option of one (1) Year. This gives you unlimited access to the Netherland labour market to take on any kind of work.
Many students feel that Australia is so hard to get into, but that isn’t necessarily true. It depends a lot on the quality of your overall application because they do their due diligence on each application. Up till 2018, you had the option of a three (3) years post-study work visa. This was changed to two (2) years in 2019.
For the Post-study option, Australia is a true dream. If you have a bachelor’s or Master’s degree by coursework, then you can remain for 2 years. If you have a research master’s degree, you’ll be able to live in the country for 3 years, and if you have a Ph.D., you get to stay for four (4) years. Cool no?
Ireland offers a post-study work visa that lasts for up to 1 Year for those earning a bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, if you’re studying for a post-graduate degree, then you can stay in the country for up to 2 Years.
The graduate will initially be granted permission to stay for twelve (12) months after their graduation. This will then be renewed for a further period of twelve months by the immigration authorities. This is on the grounds that he/she has taken appropriate steps to obtain suitable graduate level employment (e.g attendance at job interviews, signing up with graduate employment agencies).
Irish graduates are highly employable. The graduate will have an easy time finding a job if they have an interest in applied sciences, IT, telecommunications, or pharmaceuticals.
New Zealand is an extremely beautiful and peaceful country that offers foreign graduates (Bachelors, Masters & Ph.D.) a post-study work visa that lasts about 1-3 years. A Post-study work visa lasts for 1, 2, or 3 years depending on the level of your qualification and where you studied. After completing your studies in New Zealand, you can apply for a visa to work there. In almost any job.
If your plan is to live full-time in New Zealand after your studies, then you should consider getting a skilled job in an occupation where there’s a shortage of skilled hands. This could greatly improve your chances of getting a residence visa, as you will be a great asset.
To stay back in Spain after school students must apply for a residence permit for students looking for a job. You can start this procedure 60 days before or 90 days after you finished your studies in Spain, and it will only allow you to stay for a maximum of 1 Year in order to find a job or to start your own business project.
You may be wondering why Switzerland is on this list. The duration of the Post-study work visa in Switzerland is not a long one at all. However, students love this country because of the high income/salary range. International students can only stay 6 months after graduation here and you can do a lot in 6 months here. The Work Permit is valid when employed with a Swiss Employer. If you want to become a Permanent Resident (PR in Switzerland), you must have lived in Switzerland for 10 Years.
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