Last updated 19 May 2026

Grad Programs Toolkit for International Students & 485 Visa Holders in Australia

Your goal is not to apply everywhere. Your goal is to apply where your visa, timing, resume, and employer fit actually line up.

Built for international students, Student Visa holders, and Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485 holders navigating Australian graduate programs without wasting a full hiring cycle.

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Before you spend hours tailoring a resume, run these three checks.

Date Fit

Check whether the role is still open, whether assessment is rolling, when the program starts, and whether your visa lasts through the program period.

Work-Rights Fit

Read the exact wording. Look for Student Visa subclass 500, Temporary Graduate Visa subclass 485, full working rights, sponsorship notes, and citizen/PR restrictions.

Employer Proof Fit

Different employers need different evidence. Match your resume proof to the employer type instead of sending the same opening to every program.

Work-rights phrases

Do not rely on vague phrases like "international students welcome". Read the exact wording and use VEVO to check your visa details, expiry date, period of stay, and conditions.

Phrase in job ad	What to check
Full working rights	Does your visa allow full-time work for the start date and full program?
Unrestricted working rights	The employer may not accept limited work conditions. Check VEVO and your visa grant letter.
Student/Graduate Visa accepted	A stronger signal for international students, but still check program dates and sponsorship notes.
No visa sponsorship	You must independently hold or secure work rights. The employer is unlikely to sponsor.
PR pathway required	The employer may want confidence you can keep working after your current visa expires.
Citizen/PR only	Usually not suitable for 485 holders unless you also hold PR or citizenship.
Canberra roles require citizenship	Many government or client-facing roles have citizenship requirements.

Pick your best 3

Do not apply to all 26 employers just because they are listed. Pick three where eligibility, timing, and proof line up.

3/3 selectedAtlassian + Canva + Deloitte

The six-program audit

These are the six programs from the video. Treat this as an employer-centric guide, not a guarantee that every role is open or visa-compatible today.

20-employer watchlist

This is not a guaranteed open list. Some employers are international-student friendly; others are role-specific and require full work rights, no restrictions, or a PR pathway.

PwC Australia

Best for: Audit, tax, consulting, tech, risk, assurance, and deals.
Work-rights clue: PwC says it cannot sponsor work visas or PR for the graduate program; candidates must secure required Australian work rights independently.
Resume lead: Client-readiness, structured thinking, commercial awareness, strong academics, and service-line fit.

PwC Graduate Program

Grant Thornton

Best for: Audit, tax, accounting, advisory, private business, and consulting.
Work-rights clue: Grant Thornton has international-student pathways mentioning Student Visa subclass 500 and Temporary Graduate Visa subclass 485.
Resume lead: Accounting/tax/audit capability, client service, CA interest, communication, and attention to detail.

Grant Thornton application process Grant Thornton international student EOI example

Telstra

Best for: Software engineering, network engineering, cyber, technology consulting, product, and digital transformation.
Work-rights clue: Telstra says international students with a valid visa allowing work without restrictions can apply to technical pathways.
Resume lead: Software, networks, cloud, cyber, AI, systems thinking, and customer impact.

Telstra Graduate Program

GHD

Best for: Engineering, infrastructure, water, transport, environment, architecture, and design.
Work-rights clue: GHD has publicly answered that it hires international students for graduate and summer internship programs, subject to legal work rights.
Resume lead: Technical design projects, reports, safety, teamwork, sustainability, and real-world problem solving.

GHD Graduate Development Program GHD international-student Q&A

Aurecon

Best for: Engineering consulting, infrastructure, sustainability, advisory, design, energy, water, and transport.
Work-rights clue: Aurecon says it welcomes international students with the right visa to work in Australia or New Zealand.
Resume lead: Technical depth plus consulting communication. Show how you solve messy real-world problems.

Aurecon Graduate Programme Aurecon Intern Programme

AECOM

Best for: Engineering, infrastructure, environment, planning, transport, project management, and sustainability.
Work-rights clue: AECOM listings say candidates need full working rights and that student and graduate visas may be accepted.
Resume lead: Discipline-specific projects, software/tools, stakeholder communication, and delivery mindset.

AECOM ANZ Early Careers AECOM listing example

Arup

Best for: Engineering, design, architecture, sustainability, urban systems, transport, buildings, and climate.
Work-rights clue: Arup requires full working rights in the country of application and does not provide visa sponsorship for the graduate program.
Resume lead: Sustainable design, modelling, technical reports, systems thinking, and creativity under constraints.

Arup Asia Pacific Graduate Programme Arup listing example

Jacobs

Best for: Engineering consulting, water, transport, energy, environment, infrastructure, and digital solutions.
Work-rights clue: Jacobs roles are highly role-specific; check each ad for student/graduate visa or full work-rights wording.
Resume lead: Multidisciplinary project work, technical documentation, safety, and project delivery.

Jacobs Careers

BHP

Best for: Mining, engineering, operations, technology, geology, data, maintenance, safety, and site-based work.
Work-rights clue: Some BHP graduate listings say international students with valid visas are welcome, but must hold a visa with no work restrictions by the start date.
Resume lead: Safety mindset, operational thinking, engineering discipline, data/tech impact, and willingness for site/FIFO settings.

BHP Australia Graduate and Student Programs BHP listing example

Rio Tinto

Best for: Mining, engineering, operations, data, technology, environment, geology, and site-based pathways.
Work-rights clue: Rio Tinto says graduate applicants need the right to work in the country, including student or postgraduate work visa holders.
Resume lead: Safety, resilience, practical engineering judgement, site readiness, and continuous improvement.

Rio Tinto Graduates and Interns

Woodside Energy

Best for: Energy, engineering, commercial, science, data/AI, operations, and sustainability.
Work-rights clue: Woodside's summer program criteria include international students currently studying and residing in Australia with unrestricted Australian working rights over the summer period.
Resume lead: Energy-sector interest, safety, technical projects, operational awareness, and commercial thinking.

Woodside Graduates and Students

Capgemini Australia & New Zealand

Best for: Consulting, cloud, digital transformation, business analysis, data, technology delivery, and transformation projects.
Work-rights clue: Capgemini graduate listings have welcomed international students and Student Visa subclass 500 holders, but check each role.
Resume lead: Business analysis, client problem-solving, agile delivery, cloud/data projects, and stakeholder communication.

Capgemini Students and Graduates Capgemini GradConnection profile

Optiver

Best for: Software engineering, trading technology, quantitative roles, low-latency systems, algorithms, and maths-heavy problem solving.
Work-rights clue: Optiver graduate software roles ask for Australian/NZ citizenship, PR, or evidence of full working rights; some listings also show Student/Graduate Visa as accepted.
Resume lead: Algorithms, data structures, C++/Java/Rust/C#, coding competitions, maths, and performance-focused systems.

Optiver graduate software EOI Optiver Prosple listing

Quantium

Best for: Data engineering, analytics, data science, AI, retail analytics, commercial insights, and consulting with data.
Work-rights clue: Quantium says Graduate Visas subclass 485 and PR visas are accepted for Australian applicants.
Resume lead: SQL, Python, data pipelines, dashboards, statistics, machine learning, and business impact.

Quantium Graduate Academy Quantium listing example

Xero

Best for: Software engineering, product engineering, security, data science, analysis, and cloud product work.
Work-rights clue: Xero's eligibility criteria include full-time working rights and availability to start full-time.
Resume lead: Product engineering, APIs, cloud, testing, clean code, user impact, and ownership.

Xero Australian Grad Program Xero Early Careers

REA Group

Best for: Product engineering, cloud, software, data, digital property, and product-led technology.
Work-rights clue: REA says applicants need full working rights and the ability to apply for PR in advance of the February start date.
Resume lead: Web/mobile apps, AWS/cloud, event-driven architecture, user impact, and product ownership.

REA Graduate Program

QBE Insurance

Best for: Insurance, underwriting, data analytics, finance, actuarial, risk, and customer-focused business roles.
Work-rights clue: QBE application guidance asks for proof of unrestricted Australian working rights.
Resume lead: Risk thinking, analytics, finance, customer judgement, and clear communication.

QBE Graduate Program QBE Application Process

IAG

Best for: Insurance, technology, operations, finance, data, HR, customer, risk, and business graduate pathways.
Work-rights clue: IAG says applicants must be citizens or hold valid work rights in Australia/New Zealand for the duration of the program.
Resume lead: Customer impact, resilience, stakeholder communication, operations, tech/data, and problem solving.

IAG Graduate Program

Suncorp

Best for: Banking, insurance, technology, risk, data, finance, customer, operations, and corporate roles.
Work-rights clue: Suncorp says it does not participate in visa sponsorship; student/graduate visa holders must ensure they can keep working beyond visa expiry.
Resume lead: Financial services awareness, risk, digital, customer outcomes, data, and stakeholder communication.

Suncorp Apply Suncorp Graduate Program

Schneider Electric

Best for: Electrical, electronic, mechanical, mechatronic engineering, sustainability, automation, energy, and technical sales/solutions.
Work-rights clue: Schneider Electric technical graduate listings have included Australia International Student/Graduate Visa as an accepted work-rights category.
Resume lead: Power systems, automation, sustainability, engineering projects, customer solutions, and commercial awareness.

Schneider Electric listing example Schneider international student story

Resume targeting cheat sheet

Same person, different employer, different proof. Lead with the evidence that the employer category is most likely to value.

Tech / Product Companies

Atlassian, Canva, Xero, REA, Optiver, Quantium, Telstra tech, Mastercard

projects
code
systems
product impact
testing and debugging
scale, security, or reliability
GitHub / portfolio / deployed work

Professional Services / Big 4 / Consulting

Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, Grant Thornton, Capgemini

communication
structure
academics
client-readiness
commercial awareness
teamwork
reports, presentations, case competitions

Engineering / Infrastructure

GHD, Aurecon, AECOM, Arup, Jacobs, Schneider Electric

technical projects
engineering tools
design reports
safety
site or delivery awareness
sustainability
stakeholder communication

Mining / Energy

BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside

safety mindset
operations awareness
practical engineering judgement
willingness for site or FIFO conditions
data/tech impact where relevant
resilience and teamwork

Banking / Insurance / Financial Services

Mastercard, QBE, IAG, Suncorp, PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, EY

risk awareness
customer impact
data analysis
finance/commercial judgement
compliance mindset
clear written communication

Visa math worksheet

If your visa cannot support the offer, the offer is not a strategy. It is a future problem.

My current visa subclass:

My visa expiry date:

Can I work full-time during the program?

Program start date:

Program end date:

Does the employer sponsor visas?

Does the role require citizenship or PR?

Does the role accept Student Visa / 485 / other eligible visa holders?

What is my next visa or PR step if the program extends past my visa?

Can I explain my work rights clearly if asked by recruitment?

7-day application sprint

Use this when applications are closing soon or rolling assessment is active.

01Day 1: Shortlist
Choose 6 possible programs. Cut them down to 3 using eligibility, timing, and proof.
02Day 2: Work-Rights Check
Read the exact wording on each live ad. Save screenshots of deadlines, start dates, work-rights sections, sponsorship notes, and application requirements.
03Day 3: Employer Proof Map
For each employer, write what they value, what proof you have, which experience goes first, and what keywords belong in the top third of your resume.
04Days 4-5: Tailor Your Resume
Rewrite the top third of your resume for each employer. Do not change only the company name. Change the proof.
05Day 6: Prepare for Assessments
Prepare for online testing, video interviews, and assessment centres. Focus on why this employer, why this stream, project stories, teamwork, challenges, and your work-rights explanation.
06Day 7: Submit Early
Do not wait for the final day. Rolling assessment rewards early, complete, well-targeted applications.

Confirm work rights

Use this when a job ad is unclear. Keep it short and specific so recruitment can answer quickly.

Subject: Work rights eligibility for [Program Name]

Hi [Recruitment Team],

I am interested in applying for [Program Name] in [Location].

I am currently based in Australia and hold / expect to hold [Visa subclass, e.g. Student Visa 500 or Temporary Graduate Visa 485]. The program appears to start on [Start Date].

Could you please confirm whether applicants with my work-rights status are eligible to apply, provided they can legally work for the program dates?

Thank you,
[Your Name]

Sources and live pages

Last checked: 19 May 2026. Always re-check the live pages before applying.

Dates + work rights + employer fit.

Do not chase every program. Pick the employers where your visa, timing, and proof match, then tailor properly and apply early.

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This is career guidance, not migration or legal advice. Graduate-program eligibility, sponsorship policies, and intake windows shift without notice. Always check the live job ad, your visa conditions, and official government sources before applying. For visa-specific advice, speak with a MARA-registered professional.