Next we will explain the advantages that engineers obtain in Australia, how to practice in that country this profession and the salary that a professional engineer receives. In order to do so, it is necessary to have your engineering degree recognized and to be fluent in English, which is essential to develop this profession in Australia.
This profession is highly valued in Australia, so if you speak English perfectly and you are a recent graduate, you have all the possibilities in your favor to travel to this country and achieve economic progress in Australia, a country with many job opportunities, excellent quality of life and good salaries.
The engineering profession is one of the most demanded since nowadays employers of different branches and specialties are looking for this talent to favor the industrial sector, that is why Australia is seen as one of the ideal countries in the world to work as an engineer in Australia.
The most popular engineering specialties in Australia are the following, which are listed with their respective estimated annual salary:
- Mining engineers (AUD$ 110,000)
- Chemical, oil and gas engineers (AUD$ 100,000)
- Electronics Engineers (AUD$ 90,000)
- Construction engineers (AUD$ 92,000)
- Civil Engineers (AUD$ 105,000)
- Aeronautical maintenance engineers (AUD$ 90,000)
Also, some Australian companies are looking for recently graduated engineers, who wish to be trained according to the requirements of the position, in this way they are able to adapt to the Australian system. This is a phenomenal opportunity for these young engineers who have just received their degrees and wish to travel to Australia and seize the moment with the best attitude of this job opportunity, to add experience and value to their academic knowledge.
Engineers in Australia – Visa Migration Services
These professionals have the opportunity to live, travel and work as an engineer in Australia without restrictions through the 476 visa, one way to learn about this type of visa is through migration agencies such as Visado Migration Services, here you will live a great experience of advice and assistance, this way it will be possible to obtain the approval of your Australian visa aimed at qualified professionals, work visas and even to obtain citizenship or permanent residence, general immigration and Australian regional areas.
We provide a personalized service, supported by state-of-the-art technological platforms that allow us to carry out applications for different types of visas inside and outside Australia and maintain permanent contact with your clients.
Getting a job in Australia with a professional degree (Visa 476)
Applying for a job after completing your university studies will allow you to work full time even in the best paid jobs in Australia. This is the most used option and that is why it is necessary to have completed two years of master’s, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, doctoral studies in an Australian institute. To apply for this visa you must apply to the Department of Home Affairs and pay a fee of 1,650 AUD$.
Working as an engineer in Australia
Engineers in Australia are people who are required in different economic sectors, these experts have no inconvenience at the time of getting a job in this country. But the number of vacancies varies according to the city as well as the economic activity of the place. For this reason, we will show the five Australian cities that have more jobs for engineering professionals, as well as the type of engineering that stands out in each of them:
- Melbourne: This is a large city with a constant demand for skilled labor in technology and manufacturing. The positions most in demand are process, supervisory and programming.
- Sydney: is the most populated Australian city. The positions offered are related to project engineering and management.
- Brisbane: engineers specialized in the areas of construction, mining and technology are the most in demand, due to the fact that these are the main activities in this region.
- Adelaide: the most in-demand engineers for this city are experts in manufacturing, gas, mining and construction.
- Perth: this is the most active mining region in the country. The most sought-after positions are in industrial process engineering, mining and other related areas.
Most in-demand engineering programs in Australia
Due to the shortage of skilled labor to work as an engineer in Australia in the large number of projects that are developed each year in that country, engineers are the most sought after and therefore have a greater field at the labor level. Next we will point out the most demanded engineering degrees in this country and the salary that is obtained with each one of these mentions:
Civil and construction engineers
It is the best paid and has the largest number of vacancies, due to the constant growth of Australia, the salary of a professional in this field ranges from 55,000 to 180,000 AUD$ per year.
Computer and systems engineers and programmers
System, computer and programming engineers are considered to be the most popular, thanks to the technology that is currently being developed, even Latin American engineers have higher priority. The annual salary of these engineers ranges from 50,000 to 180,000 AUD$.
Geological or mining engineers
Mining in Australia has a wide field of work and is one of the country’s sources of income, which is why engineers in Australia specialized in mining or geology are also in great demand and can count on an annual salary ranging from 80,000 to 190,000 AUD$.
Mechanical, industrial and process engineers
The fourth position is occupied by these three engineering degrees and is due to the fact that manufacturing is a major sector in some Australian states such as Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. Salaries for these engineering degrees range from 60,000 to 120,000 AUD$ per year.
Environmental Engineers
Australia is a country concerned about natural resources and the environment; the state usually requires industries to perform quality controls and take care of the environment, for this reason there is a great demand for engineers specialized in this area, who receive an annual salary ranging from 60,000 to 120,000 AUD$.
Telecommunications engineers
Due to the existence of several telecommunications companies, engineers in this field are in great demand. The salaries of these specialists range from 60,000 to 120,000 AUD$ per year.
Chemical engineers
These engineers have the opportunity to enter different sectors and therefore have a wide range of options. The salaries of these engineers range from 70,000 to 130,000 AUD$ per year.
Agricultural engineers
In recent years the agricultural industry has shown a great growth due to global warming, for this reason engineers in Australia specialized in agronomy are also in demand, they can get an annual salary ranging from 65,000 to 110,000 AUD$.
Types of visas to work as an engineer in Australia
It is necessary to have a valid visa to be able to work as an engineer in Australia. At this point many people tend to confuse the permanent residence visa with the work visa, because they are the two options to work in that country.
When referring to work visas, there are several types of work visas, the most common is the 482. This visa does not grant permanent residence and is obtained on the basis of an employment relationship with any legally registered Australian or foreign company with the approval of the immigration department.
Another option to work as an engineer in Australia is through the skilled migration program. It is a long-standing program that was created with the purpose of organizing Australian migration and meeting the demand for labor.
As for the option to apply for permanent residence, it evaluates the academic and work profile of the applicant, unlike the visa mentioned above, permanent residence provides the opportunity to work in any Australian company and enjoy the benefits received by any resident of Australia.
How much does an engineer earn in Australia?
Engineers in Australia usually have excellent salaries, as it is a highly demanded profession. These salaries are very attractive and vary according to the degree of expertise and the time of work experience of the specialist.
For this reason, engineers with two or three years of work experience are considered junior and those with more than five years of experience are considered senior.
It is recommended that when looking for a job as an engineer in Australia, the certificates and diplomas of training carried out should be attached and the years of experience obtained should also be highlighted. It should be noted that companies in Australia do not take into account the university where you studied, but rather the work experience, certificates, diplomas, etc.
Jobs for engineers in Australia considered professional offer an annual salary package that is calculated as follows: from AUD$50,000 to AUD$60,000 for newly graduated or junior engineers, while a senior engineer can earn from AUD$90,000 to AUD$180,000.
Visa 476 Australia
This is a 476 postgraduate visa, which can be granted to recent engineering graduates and allows them to complete their engineering studies in certain Australian educational institutions under the Washington Agreement and also to study, live and work in Australia, this visa is granted for only one and a half years.
The engineering qualification must have been completed in recognized educational institutions in the country. It should be noted that studying at a college or university affiliated to one of these recognized institutions is not the same, as it does not satisfy this requirement.
It is also necessary to have high ability and extensive knowledge of the English language; one way to consider that you meet the English language requirement for this visa is if you are a native of the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada or New Zealand or hold a valid passport from any of these countries.
Otherwise, if you are from any other country, the main requirement is to provide proof of having obtained the required scores for this visa in one of the specified English language tests. Before applying it is necessary to complete the English language test.
With respect to this visa subclass 476 (Qualified and Recognized Graduate Visa), as mentioned above, this is a temporary visa that allows students who have recently graduated with an engineering degree from an eligible university to obtain up to 18 months of qualifying work experience in engineering-related occupations.
Similarly, the applicant’s family can also apply for a visa after the visa is granted. With this visa the holder and his family have the opportunity to stay in Australia for only 18 months and during their stay in Australia they have the right to travel, work and study.
In terms of location, the applicant can be either outside or inside Australia when applying for this visa, however, the applicant must be outside Australia when the visa is decided unless he/she is a New Zealand citizen and holds a special category visa (subclass 444), which can be either inside or outside Australia when the visa is decided.
Eligibility condition for postgraduate visa 476
- Applicants for this visa must be recent graduates in the field of engineering with the following degrees: bachelor’s, master’s, postgraduate and doctorate.
- Must have a completed degree in the following disciplines: civil, mining and materials, chemical, structural, electrical, electronic, environmental, mechanical and production engineering.
- Be 31 years old.
- All character and health requirements are necessary and indispensable to apply for this visa.
- Have advanced knowledge of English.
- Not having applied for subclass 476 and 485 visas.
What are the rights obtained with this visa?
- There are no conditions for being at sea or on land at the time of applying for this visa subclass.
- Only up to 18 months is allowed to live in Australia through this visa.
- With this type of visa subclass, you can also work as an engineer in Australia.
- Dependent children or spouse may also be included in this visa.
- Travel to and from Australia when necessary.
Requirements for the Skilled recognized graduate visa 476
Among the requirements for a person to apply for a 476 visa are the following:
- Be recent engineering graduates or graduates from recognized Australian educational institutions, with a target of 18 months of qualifying work experience.
- The maximum age to apply for this visa is 31 years old.
- Who within the last two years has completed an engineering degree at a recognized Australian institution.
- Who has never previously held a recognized qualified graduate (subclass 476) or temporary graduate (subclass 485) visa, unless he/she belongs to the family unit.
- Be able to master the English language.
- Comply with all the necessary character and health requirements requested for the application of this visa.
What is the migration Skills assessment?
The Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) Program is intended for applicants who require a skills assessment in order to apply to the Department of Internal Affairs for a skilled migration visa.
This skills assessment determines whether an applicant possesses the necessary skills and experience to work as an engineer in Australia at the level required for their occupation.
To obtain approval for this program, it is first necessary to read the guidelines for applying for MSA, then a series of requirements must be submitted to Engineers Australia which are specified below:
- Three written submissions explaining the projects you have undertaken in your career or during your work experience. These should be summarized in an Excel table provided by Engineers Australia to demonstrate the skills that an engineer should have.
- Make a short summary where you mention what you use on a daily basis to keep up to date in the engineering field.
- Transcript of records of the courses taken in your career.
- Copy of the engineering degree or studies completed.
- IELTS English certificate.
- Photocopy of passport.
- Curricular summary.
- Passport-size photograph.
If you are an engineering graduate, do not think twice about moving to Australia, this country has a magnificent quality of life, and if you want to specialize or expand your knowledge, this nation offers one of the best education systems in the world.
