As part of the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA), the Australian Government has introduced a pilot program, the Innovation and Early Careers Skills Exchange Pilot (IECSEP). This program provides opportunities for UK citizens to live and work in Australia for up to 3 years. By providing this new and streamlined mobility pathway for early career professionals and demonstrated innovators, the IECSEP aims to build on the existing relationships between Australia and the UK. There are two streams as part of the IECSEP- the Early Careers Skills stream, and the Innovation stream.
The Early Careers Skills stream allows participants to undertake a short-term placement, secondment or intra-corporate transfer for up to one year in Australia. To be eligible for this stream, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- be aged between 21 and 45 (inclusive) at the time of application
- hold tertiary qualifications
- have worked for at least 3 months in their current role, and the prospective employment in Australia must be relevant to the applicant's field of work in their current role
- have prospective employment in Australia in an occupation defined at the ANZSCO Skill Levels 1, 2 or 3
- have a demonstrated contribution to innovation
- be highly skilled
- be highly experienced
- have prospective employment in Australia in an occupation defined at the ANZSCO Skill Level 1