Graduate Visa (485)

Graduate visa(485)

post-Vocational Education Work Stream

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets eligible international students stay in Australia after graduation to live, work and study, with unrestricted work rights, and you can also include eligible family members (such as your partner and children) in your application. It has different streams depending on what you studied. The Graduate Work stream (now called the Post-Vocational Education Work stream) is for graduates with an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification that is closely related to an occupation on the skilled list, and it is usually granted for up to 18 months.

post-Higher Education Work Stream

The Post-Higher Education Work stream is for graduates with a Bachelor degree or higher from an Australian institution, and it is usually granted for around 2–3 years depending on the qualification. If you studied at a regional institution and then live in a regional area as a 485 holder, you may be eligible for the regional extension (now called the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream), which can provide an additional 1–2 years depending on your regional location.

Post-Higher Education work stream Key criteria

Age: usually 35 or under when you apply (limited exceptions apply, e.g., certain research higher degrees and some passport holders)
Location at lodgement: you must be in Australia when you lodge (subsequent entrants are treated differently)
Current visa status: you must hold an Substantive visa or bridging visa A or B
Recent student visa: you must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months
Qualification level: you need a degree-level qualification or higher from an Australian institution (in a CRICOS-registered course)
Australian Study Requirement (ASR): you must have completed study in Australia that totals at least 2 academic years (92 weeks), in no less than 16 calendar months, taught in English, and you must have met the ASR within the 6 months before you apply
Meet English language: at the time of the application
Health insurance: you must provide evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants when you apply
AFP check: you must provide evidence you have applied for an AFP check at the time of the application
Health & character: you must meet standard health and character requirements
Government debts: you should have no outstanding debt to the Australian Government

Post-Vocational Education Work stream Key criteria

Age: usually 35 or under at the time of application (limited exceptions may apply)
Location at lodgement: must be in Australia when you lodge
Recent student visa: you must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months
Qualification: you completed an eligible vocational/trade qualification, diploma or associate degree from an Australian CRICOS-registered course, which leads to an occupation on the medium and long term list
Australian Study Requirement: meet the 2 academic years (92 weeks) / 16 months study requirement, completed in Australia and taught in English
Skills assessment: obtain a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation (provisional skill assessment)
Meet English language: at the time of the application
Health insurance: hold adequate health insurance at time of application
AFP check: provide evidence you have applied for an AFP check at time of application
Health & character: meet standard health and character requirements
Government debts: have no outstanding Australian Government debt

Second Post-Higher Education Work stream regional extension

Hold a current Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) in the Post-Higher Education Work stream
The qualification that led to your first 485 must be a degree (Bachelor or higher) from an Australian institution located in a designated regional area
Apply while you are in Australia (this stream is generally onshore only)
Have lived, study or worked in a designated regional area for at least 2 years immediately before you apply (student visa time also can be counted for 2 years period)
Age: 35 or under at time of application (limited exceptions may apply)
Health insurance: maintain adequate health cover for all applicants
Meet health and character requirements (including required police checks, where applicable)
No outstanding Australian Government debt (or have arrangements to repay)

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FAQs

I have completed my course already, However, I didn’t do the English yet, I am sure that i can provide a satisfied result anyway. can i apply for the visa first and provide English later

No. Under the Migration Regulations, you must meet the English requirement and provide evidence of it at the time you lodge your subclass 485 application — you cannot apply first and provide English later. The same rule generally applies to other key “time of application” requirements, including evidence that you have applied for an AFP check and that you hold appropriate health insurance (OVHC).

In our practice, before lodging a 485 application we always double-check the Four key items are ready and can be uploaded at lodgment: (1) course completion letter, (2) valid English result, (3) OVHC insurance, and (4) AFP check receipt, .

If these documents are not provided at the time of application, the Department must refuse the visa due to the legal requirement is about meeting the criteria at the time you apply, not whether you might meet it later. There is generally no waiver for this.

I have completed my master degree, However, I have two credit transfer from my oversea study, is there any problem for subclass 485?

Normally, a Master’s degree consists of 16 course units and is CRICOS-registered for 104 weeks. To meet the Australian Study Requirement, you must complete a course that is CRICOS-registered for at least 92 weeks. If you calculate the duration per unit, 104 weeks ÷ 16 units = 6.5 weeks per unit. If you receive two units of credit transfer from overseas, that reduces the completed study by 13 weeks (2 × 6.5). This leaves 104 − 13 = 91 weeks of completed study, which is below the 92-week minimum. In that case, you would not meet the Australian Study Requirement and would not be eligible for the subclass 485 visa.

I am currently study my bachelor degree in australia, I did online study for 1 semester, are there any concerns to meet to australia study requirement for 485?

You can still meet the Australian Study Requirement even if your course included some study overseas, as long as you complete at least 2 academic years of study in Australia (CRICOS-registered) and the study is completed over a total period of no less than 16 calendar months in Australia.

Example: You would still meet the 2 academic year requirement in Australia if you completed a 3-year (6-semester) Bachelor program in this pattern:

Semester 1 — outside Australia
Semester 2 — in Australia
Semester 3 — in Australia
Semester 4 — in Australia
Semester 5 — outside Australia
Semester 6 — in Australia

For master degree, same principle applies, you can do 1 semester outside of Australia to meet Australia study requirement

For the student studied in a regional area, there is one key issue to watch out for. Even if you still meet the Australian Study Requirement and are eligible to apply for the subclass 485, you may not be able to claim the 5 points for “study in a designated regional area” under the points test if any part of the relevant study was completed by distance education (for example, online/remote learning). This is because the points-test criteria for regional study specifically require that none of the study undertaken constituted distance education.

I am currently studying in australia. However, because i changed courses, i now need an extra month to complete my degree. My current student visa was granted based on my original COE, and my current visa will not cover the additional month i need. I understand that applying for a new student visa may take several months, but i only need a short extension to finish my course. In this situation, what should i do to ensure i can lawfully remain in australia, complete my studies, and still be able to lodge a valid subclass 485 application when i become eligible

It has happened to many students for this situation, basically, you have two options here

Option 1:
You can lodge a Student visa extension around 6 months before your current visa expires. This gives the Department enough time to process the application and helps avoid a situation where your COE expires before a decision is made.

Risk: If the Student visa extension is refused while you are in Australia, you may later become subject to the section 48 (s48) bar. If s48 applies, you can only apply for certain visas onshore — and subclass 485 is not one of them. This can create a serious problem because the 485 must be lodged in Australia. In that scenario, you may need to depart Australia and consider another strategy to return lawfully (for example, a Visitor visa), noting that this also carries risk.

Option 2:

you can lodge a new Student visa application shortly before your current Student visa expires, you will generally be granted a Bridging Visa A (BVA) (which becomes active after your current Student visa ends) so you can remain lawfully in Australia while the Student visa is being processed. This can give you enough time to complete the extra month of study and obtain your completion documents, then lodge the subclass 485 while holding the BVA. The 485 requirement is that you have held a Student visa in the last 6 months before lodging the 485, and this can still be satisfied even if you are currently on a bridging visa, provided you held a Student visa within that 6-month period.

After you lodge the 485, you will usually move onto a Bridging Visa C (BVC) to remain lawful while the 485 is being processed. A BVC commonly has no work rights, but you may apply for work rights if you can demonstrate financial hardship.

Once the 485 has been lodged and you have the bridging arrangements in place, you may then withdraw the pending Student visa application, and remain in Australia on the bridging visa linked to the 485 while waiting for a decision.

I am 35 years old and currently I am holding 485 post higher education visa, my visa still valid for 2 years, can i apply for the 485 regional extension at this stage?

This is a common question from our clients. Yes — you can apply for the 485 regional extension even if your first 485 still has a long time left, as long as you already meet the eligibility requirements.

However, many people misunderstand the age rule. They think that once they already hold a 485, or if they applied for their first 485 while they were under 35, they can apply for the regional extension later without any age limitation. That is not correct — the regional extension still has an age requirement at the time you lodge the second 485 (with limited exceptions).

Secondly, many people also misunderstand the 2-year regional living requirement. They think they must hold a 485 and live in a regional area for 2 years on the 485 before they can apply. This is also not correct. The rule is about your physical residence in a designated regional area for the required period — it does not specifically require you to be holding a 485 during that time. For example, if you lived in a regional area for 2 years while studying there on a Student visa, that time may count toward the regional living requirement.

Do I need to wait until the last minute to apply?

Not necessarily. If you already meet the regional residence requirement and you are close to the age limit, applying earlier can be safer. Processing times can vary, but the key point is: when granted, the second 485 is an extra period on top of the first one.

For those people who received their first 485 at age 34 or 35, just apply as soon as possible if you meet the eligibility

I have applied for the subclass 485 visa, but i have now realised i uploaded the wrong type of australian Federal police check. I’m very worried my visa will be refused — what should i do?

Under the Migration Regulations, a 485 applicant must show that the required Australian Federal police check has been arranged at the time of application. This is why an AFP receipt or confirmation of lodgement can often be used to meet the “arranged” requirement.

Providing the wrong type of AFP (for example, wrong name, not including all the name including alias or choosing the wrong option ) does not automatically lead to a refusal. In our experience, Home Affairs will usually give applicants an opportunity to provide the correct AFP National Police Check (for example, through a request for further information). The key risk is not responding by the deadline — if you fail to provide the correct document when requested, the application may be refused

If a refusal does occur, and you have a reasonable explanation and can provide the correct document afterward, you may still have review options through the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). A similar approach can apply to health examinations — some applicants are refused because they did not complete their health check by the deadline, but where the health requirement is later completed and the circumstances are properly explained, review prospects can be stronger