MATES Visa Selections Continue Until 30 June: What Indian Graduates Should Prepare Now
For thousands of young Indian professionals hoping to gain Australian work experience, June is an important month to watch. The Department of Home Affairs says selections for the 2025-26 Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme, better known as MATES, can continue until 30 June 2026. That means eligible Indian graduates who registered in the closed ballot should keep checking their ImmiAccount and email — and start preparing now in case an invitation arrives.
MATES sits under the Temporary Work (International Relations) subclass 403 visa. It is designed specifically for Indian nationals who are early in their careers and have skills in targeted fields such as engineering, information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology, renewable energy, mining and agricultural technology.
What is the MATES pathway?
According to Home Affairs, MATES allows eligible Indian graduates and early career professionals to live and work in Australia for up to two years. The program is part of the wider Australia-India mobility relationship and is capped at up to 3,000 primary applicant places per program year.
Unlike many visa streams, applicants cannot simply lodge a MATES visa application whenever they choose. The first step is the pre-application ballot. Home Affairs says eligible Indian nationals must register in the ballot, be randomly selected and then be invited to apply for the subclass 403 MATES stream visa.
Why June 2026 matters
The current Home Affairs MATES ballot page lists the 2025-26 registration period as closed, with registrations having run from 1 November 2025 to 14 December 2025. However, the selection period is listed as running from 15 December 2025 to 30 June 2026.
In practical terms, this is not a fresh registration window. If you missed the ballot registration, you cannot enter this round now. But if you did register, June is still relevant because selections may occur during the listed selection period. Successful entrants can then move to the visa application stage.
Who was eligible to register?
Home Affairs lists several ballot eligibility requirements. Applicants needed to:
- hold a valid Indian passport;
- hold a valid Indian Permanent Account Number, or PAN card;
- be aged 18 to 30 inclusive at the beginning of the ballot registration period;
- have a valid email address and an ImmiAccount;
- pay the AUD25 ballot registration fee; and
- not already be registered in the MATES ballot for that process.
Home Affairs also says people could be inside or outside Australia when registering in the ballot. But if selected, the applicant can only apply for the subclass 403 MATES stream visa from outside Australia. That detail matters for Indian nationals already visiting, studying or working temporarily in Australia, as travel plans may need to be considered carefully.
What selected applicants should prepare
Being selected in the ballot is not the same as receiving the visa. It only gives a person the opportunity to apply. Selected applicants still need to meet the visa criteria and provide evidence to support their application.
While each case is different, Indian applicants should consider organising the following early:
- Identity documents: passport, PAN details and consistent personal information across documents.
- Education evidence: degree certificates, transcripts and proof that the qualification fits the eligible MATES fields.
- Timing evidence: documents showing graduation timing, especially where recent graduation requirements apply.
- English evidence: any required test results or proof accepted under Home Affairs rules.
- Employment and CV records: a clean resume and documents showing early career experience in the targeted sector.
- Family documents: if including a spouse, partner or eligible dependants in the visa application.
Why this matters for Indian Australians too
Many Indian Australians are helping siblings, cousins or younger relatives in India understand new Australia migration updates. MATES is not a permanent residency visa, and it should not be marketed as a guaranteed pathway to PR. Its immediate value is professional exposure: up to two years of Australian work and life experience in fields where both countries want stronger skills exchange.
Families should be careful about exaggerated claims from agents or social media pages. A ballot selection is random, the annual cap is limited, and the official source for requirements remains Home Affairs. Applicants should read the MATES ballot and visa pages directly before paying for advice or services.
Key takeaway
If you registered for the 2025-26 MATES ballot, keep monitoring your ImmiAccount and email until the 30 June 2026 selection period ends. If you are selected, act quickly but carefully: check the official subclass 403 MATES requirements, prepare documents, and consider registered migration advice if your circumstances are complex.
For Indian graduates who missed this round, the lesson is simple: watch Home Affairs for the next annual MATES ballot and prepare eligibility documents before registrations open. In a competitive, capped program, being ready early can make the difference between a calm application and a rushed one.
Official information: Department of Home Affairs MATES visa and ballot pages.
