How young Indian professionals can be ready for the next MATES visa ballot

Getting a MATES visa starts with a piece of luck. Before an eligible Indian graduate can lodge a single form, their name has to be drawn at random from a pool of thousands. There is no queue to join early and no points to bank. What a candidate can control is whether, on the day the draw falls their way, every document and test result is already in order. That is the difference between a wasted invitation and a two-year job in Australia.

The Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme, or MATES, opened to Indian applicants for the first time in December 2024. It grew out of a migration and mobility partnership that Australia and India signed in May 2023, a broader deal covering students, researchers and professionals moving between the two countries. MATES is the professional stream, and for young Indians in a handful of technical fields it is one of the few ways to work in Australia without an employer sponsor.

What MATES actually offers

MATES uses the subclass 403 visa and lets holders live and work in Australia for up to two years. The Department of Home Affairs, the federal agency that administers Australia’s visa system and runs the draws, allocates up to 3,000 places for Indian primary applicants each program year. Partners and children can come too, and they do not count towards the 3,000 cap.

The scheme targets seven fields: renewable energy, mining, engineering, information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology and agricultural technology. Home Affairs has said there is no strict requirement to work only in your nominated field once you arrive, though the visa is built around these sectors. You do not need a job offer to be eligible, although an employment offer can help show you are able to support yourself.

Who can enter the ballot

The eligibility rules are specific, and this is where preparation earns its keep. According to the Home Affairs applicant fact sheet, you must be aged 18 to 30 (inclusive) at the start of the ballot registration period, hold a valid Indian passport, and not have taken part in MATES before.

You need a bachelor degree or higher in one of the eligible fields, and it must be recent. The fact sheet requires that you graduated within two years of the start of the ballot registration period. For the 2025-26 round, which opened on 1 November 2025, that meant completing your degree on or after 1 November 2023.

The qualification also has to come from a highly ranked institution. Your degree must be from an institution in the top 100 of India’s NIRF Overall list. NIRF, the National Institutional Ranking Framework, is run by India’s Ministry of Education and has ranked institutions since 2016; IIT Madras topped the 2025 Overall table. Affiliated colleges that are not themselves named in the top 100 do not qualify. On English, you need an overall IELTS score of at least 6, or an accepted equivalent, with no band below 5.

How the ballot works

You cannot apply for the visa directly. First you register during a set window and pay a registration fee of AUD 25. Home Affairs then draws names at random. The department describes the ballot as a fair and transparent way of randomly selecting people to apply, so a stronger CV does not shorten your odds at this stage. Every eligible registration carries the same chance.

If your registration is drawn, you receive an invitation and must lodge your visa application on or before the date set out in the invitation letter. That is the point at which your evidence is checked. The AUD 25 registration fee is separate from the visa application charge, which was reported at around AUD 375 for the primary applicant in the 2025-26 year. Home Affairs indexes its charges on 1 July each year, so confirm the current amount before you budget.

The timing has already shifted once. The first ballot ran from 9 December 2024 to 7 January 2025. The second, for 2025-26, ran from 1 November 2025 to 14 December 2025, with the first draw on 15 December 2025 and further draws until registrations expired on 30 June 2026.

Preparing for the next round

As of mid-August 2026, the dates for the 2026-27 MATES ballot had not been published on the Home Affairs or Australian High Commission websites. Anyone planning to enter should confirm the window directly with Home Affairs and the High Commission in New Delhi, which publishes each program year’s registration notice, and treat the November 2025 opening as a guide rather than a promise.

The useful work is the work that takes time later. Sit your IELTS or an accepted equivalent and clear 6 overall with nothing under 5. Check that your institution appears on the relevant NIRF Overall top 100 list. Confirm your graduation date still sits inside the two-year window, because that clock moves with each new ballot. Keep your passport valid, and gather your degree certificate, transcripts and identity documents in digital form. Register as soon as the window opens, pay the AUD 25, and if you are drawn, be ready to lodge fast.

The bigger picture

MATES rewards a narrow profile: a recent graduate from a top-ranked Indian institution, under 30, working in a technical field Australia wants to grow. For those who fit, readiness counts for more than ambition, because the draw is indifferent to how much you want it. The sensible approach is to clear every obstacle you can control and leave only the selection to chance. Prepare as though your name will come up, and check each date against the official source before you act on it.

Related reading: the skilled migration points test, Australia’s 295,000 student cap and the long wait for a parent visa.