Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

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Graduate Work Stream

This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with skills and qualifications that are relevant to specific occupations that Australia needs. It lets you live, study and work in Australia temporarily.

Application Requirements:

You must be under 35 years of age.

Eligible prospective subclass 485 visa applicants can make their visa application outside Australia during the concession period and be granted the visa while they are outside Australia.

We will only process your visa application if:

You are the main holder of a current student visa (but not one supported by the Defence or Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister);

You held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now have a Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B, granted on the basis of a valid application for a visa

You held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now hold a substantive visa

You are outside Australia and you hold or have held an eligible student visa (but not one supported by the Defence or Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister).

Note: To be eligible for this visa you must have completed your course in the 6 months immediately before the day you apply.

Meet the Australian study requirement

In the past 6 months before you applied for this visa you must have met the Australian study requirement. You will meet this if you are awarded at least one degree, diploma or trade qualification and:

Your course was a CRICOS-registered course

You successfully completed all course requirements

Your study was in English

You completed your course as a result of at least two academic years (92) weeks study

You completed your course in Australia in not less than 16 calendar months

You held an Australian visa that allowed you to study

When applying for this stream of the subclass 485, the course or courses must have resulted in a degree, diploma or trade qualification.

You can use more than one course to meet the 2 academic year component of the Australian study requirement, but each course used must be closely related to your nominated occupation.

Have skills and qualifications that Australia needs

You will need to:

Nominate 1 occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and

Have a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation and

Be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as having skills suitable for that occupation

You must nominate the occupation when you apply, or we can’t process your visa application. You can't change the occupation you nominate after you apply

The qualification must be closely related to that occupation.

Example: Acceptable combinations of qualification and nominated occupations include:

Nominating 'Physiotherapist' as your skilled occupation and a degree in physiotherapy in Australia

Nominating 'Air-conditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber' as your skilled occupation and having a Certificate III in Plumbing and a Diploma of Plumbing and Services in Australia

Have this passport or this level of English language

Example: Not acceptable combinations of study of qualification and nominated occupation include:

An applicant's nominated occupation is Registered Nurse but they satisfied the 'Australian study requirement' on the basis of having completed a Bachelor of Commerce.

Additionally, your skills must be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated occupation. For example, if you nominated ‘Speech Pathologist’, the authority you must get an assessment from is Speech Pathology Australia.

If your skills are assessed on the basis of a qualification you got in Australia when you held a student visa, the qualification must be from studying a course registered on CRICOS.

You must provide evidence when you apply that you have at least applied for a skills assessment, or we cannot process your visa application.

It is your responsibility to arrange for the skills assessment. Contact the relevant assessing authority well before you apply for this visa, because each assessing authority has its own assessment procedures, timeframes and charges.

Some assessing authorities only provide assessments that are valid for a set period. It is your responsibility to check that this period has not expired by the time we make a decision. If there is no set period, then you must have obtained the assessment within the last 3 years.

IELTS Overall score of at least 6 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 parts PTE Overall score of at least 50 with a minimum score of 36 for each of the 4 parts

or TOEFL IBT / OET / Cambridge C1 Advanced test also acceptable

Application Process

Apply your 485 GWS visa

Gather your documents (Provide proof of your study, qualifications, skills assessment, identity and relationships. You will also need to provide documents for your family members)

Wait for the Visa outcome

Granted your 485 GWS visa

Post-Study Work stream

This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution. It lets you live, work and study in Australia, temporarily.

Application Requirements:

This visa is for current and former Temporary Graduate visa holders who lost time on their original visa due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. It lets you live, work and study in Australia temporarily.

You must be under 50 years of age.

This stream is only available if you applied for, and were granted, your first student visa to Australia on or after 5 November 2011.

If you held your first student visa prior to this date, even as a child on your parent’s student visa, then you will not be eligible to apply for this stream

Eligible prospective subclass 485 visa applicants can make their visa application outside Australia during the concession period and be granted the visa while they are outside Australia

We will process your visa application if:

You are the main holder of a current student visa, (but not one supported by the Defence or Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister)

You held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now have a Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B, granted on the basis of a valid application for a visa

You held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now hold a substantive visa you held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now hold a substantive visa

You are outside Australia and you hold or have held an eligible student visa, (but not one supported by the Defence or Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister).

Note: To be eligible for this visa you must have completed your course in the 6 months immediately before the day you apply.

Hold an eligible qualification at degree-level or above

The Post-study Work stream of the subclass 485 visa is for international students with eligible qualifications, regardless of their field of study. You must have also met the Australian study requirement within the past six months.

Qualifications

The qualification that you have completed must be an eligible degree. This means a:

Bachelor degree

Bachelor (honours) degree

Masters by coursework degree

Masters (extended) degree

Masters by research degree

Doctoral degree

If you have studied a standalone diploma or trade qualification, you are not eligible to be granted a visa in this stream.

Meet the Australian study requirement

Your course was a Commonwealth Register of Institutions and courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)-registered course

You successfully completed all course requirements

Your study was in English

You completed your course as a result of at least two academic years (92) weeks study

You completed your course in Australia in not less than 16 calendar months

You held an Australian visa that allowed you to study

Student visa holders affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions, can count online study towards the Australian Study Requirement.

You must attach the completed and signed form to your Temporary Graduate visa application. Failure to attach this form when you apply may cause processing delays.

Have this passport or this level of English language

Application Process:

Apply your 485 GWS visa

Gather your documents (Provide proof of your study, qualifications, skills assessment, identity and relationships. You will also need to provide documents for your family members)

Wait for the Visa outcome

Granted your 485 GWS visa

Second Post-Study Work stream

This visa is for holders of a Temporary Graduate visa (first Post-Study Work stream or Replacement stream) who graduated with a degree from an Australian institution located in a regional area. It lets you live, work and study in Australia, temporarily.

Application Requirements:

You must be under 50 years of age.

This stream is only available if you:

Were granted your first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream; or

Were granted a Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream based on holding your first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream.

You must continue to hold a valid first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, or a Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream when you apply for a second Temporary Graduate post-study work stream visa.

Eligible prospective applicants for the second Temporary Graduate post-study work stream visa and accompanying dependents must make their visa application in Australia, but during the concession period they may be granted the visa while they are outside Australia.

Subsequent entrants, like your family members, may make their visa application in or outside Australia once you hold your visa.

We will process your visa application if you are the main holder of a current Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream or the replacement stream.

Have studied with an Australian education provider in a designated regional area Hide

You must have obtained your qualification that led to the grant of your first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, from an Australian education provider who is registered on CRICOS and offer degree-level programs. The campus that you studied at must have been based in a designated regional area.

Lived in a designated regional area

As the holder of a first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, or a Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream, you must have lived only in a designated regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying for the second Temporary Graduate post-study work stream visa. To do this, show us evidence that in the last 2 years, you resided in a designated regional area.

Designated regional areas are divided into two categories: Category 2 “Cities and Major Regional Centres” and Category 3 “Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas".

If you have lived only in a Category 2 area, you can only be granted an additional 1 year visa.

If you have lived only in a Category 3 area, you can only be granted an additional 2 year visa.

If you have moved between categories you will be considered for the shorter visa.

If you have been away from your usual residence for a holiday or short work trip, it will not change the way we assess your usual residence.

The table below provides a guide on the residence and study requirements for the second Temporary Graduate post-study work stream visa.

Work and study in designated regional area

If you worked and/or studied while you held your first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, or your Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream, the work and study must have been in the designated regional area.

You may be asked to provide further information or evidence of your work or study.

Application Process

Apply your 485 Second Post-Study Work stream visa

Gather your documents (You need to provide documents to support your application. The migration can make a decision using the information you provide when you lodge your application. Provide as much information as possible with your application. Some documents could take some time to get. Have them ready when you submit the application to reduce delays in processing.)

Wait for the Visa outcome

Granted your 485 Second Post-Study Work stream visa

Replacement stream

Application Requirements:

You must be under 50 years of age.

Apply before 1 January 2027

Be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance

This stream is only available to current or former Temporary Graduate visa holders who lost time in Australia as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

To apply for this visa you must either:

Hold a Temporary Graduate visa as the main holder; or

Have held a Temporary Graduate visa as the main holder and currently hold another substantive visa, or a Bridging visa A or Bridging visa B.

You will be eligible to apply if, as the main holder:

You have held a Graduate Work stream or first Post Study Work stream Temporary Graduate visa that was:

Granted before 15 December 2021 and

In effect on or after 1 February 2020

Have lost time on your visa because of Australia’s COVID-19 travel restrictions. This means:

If you were in Australia when your original Temporary Graduate visa was granted, you have been outside of Australia while holding this visa between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021

If you were outside Australia when your original Temporary Graduate visa was granted, you entered Australia on that visa, and the departed Australia on that visa before 15 December 2021

Have not had your Temporary Graduate visa, or any visa granted after you held your Temporary Graduate visa, cancelled, unless it was cancelled because you asked for it to be, or the decision to cancel the visa was set aside by the Tribunal.

Application Process

Apply your 485 replacement stream visa

Wait for the Visa outcome

Granted your 485 replacement stream visa