Temporary Graduate Visa
Subclass 485
(Temporary)
Overview
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Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485) is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution to live, work and study in Australia temporarily.
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You may include your family in your visa application so your entire family can live together in Australia.
4 Streams
Graduate Work Stream
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for international students who have recently graduated with skills and qualifications that are relevant to specific occupations Australia needs
Post-study Work Stream
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for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution
Second Post-study Work Stream
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for international students who already hold Subclass 485 visa in Post-study Work stream and seek to extend their stay and their educational institution is located in a regional area
COVID-19 Replacement Stream
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for Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485) holders impacted by the Australian travel restrictions. This means, people who could not stay in Australia for the full period allowed by their previous Temporary Graduate visa can have a replacement visa issued that will permit the same length of stay as the original visa.
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This is an interim measure. Please refer to Temporary Graduate Visa (COVID-19 Replacement Stream) for details.
Eligibility
Have applied for and hold your first student visa on or after 5 November 2011 (Post-study Work Stream only)
be aged under 50
currently hold a certain visa
Hold an eligible qualification at degree-level or above
have met the Australian Study requirement in the past 6 months
Have the required level of English proficiency
Have adequate health insurance
Meet health and character requirements
Graduate Work Stream (effective from 1 July 2023):
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nominate an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL)
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have a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation
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have a successful skills assessment for that occupation
Second Post-study Work Stream:
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you must have lived only in a designated regional area for at least 2 years
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If you worked and/or studied while you held your first Temporary Graduate visa (post-study work stream), the work and study must have been in the designated regional area
Special Notes
Eligible Qualification at Degree-level or Above
The qualification that you have completed must be an eligible degree. This means a:
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bachelor degree
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bachelor (honours) degree
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masters by coursework degree
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masters (extended) degree
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masters by research degree
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doctoral degree
If you have studied a standalone diploma or trade qualification, you are not eligible to be granted a visa in this stream.
Australian Study Requirement
You will meet this requirement if you have at least one degree, diploma or trade qualification and:
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your course was a Commonwealth Register of Institutions and courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)-registered course
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you successfully completed all course requirements
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the study was in English
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you completed your course as a result of at least 2 academic years (92 weeks) study
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you completed your course in Australia in not less than 16 calendar months
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you held an Australian study visa that allowed you to study.
Please note: Student visa holders affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions, can count online study towards the Australian Study Requirement.
Location
Update: Covid-19 Concessions have been granted to all Subclass 485 streams to allow you to lodge and be granted the visa while you are outside Australia if:
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you are impacted by COVID travel restrictions and lodged an application for your first Subclass 485 visa during the concession period which commenced 1 February 2020 and is ongoing
Otherwise, you must be in Australia at the time of application and visa grant。
Duration of Stay
Graudate Work Stream
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Temporarily increased to 24 months for visas granted from 1 December 2021 (usually up to 18 months)
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Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay for 5 years.
Post-study Work Stream
Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay for 5 years. Otherwise, the duration of the visa depends on which studies have been completed as follows:
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PhD: 4 years
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Masters by Research or Coursework: 3 years
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Bachelor Degree: 2 years
Second Post-study Work Stream
1 – 2 years depending on the regional location of your Australian educational institution and the regional location you live in. Please refer to Classification of Regional Areas for details.
Benefits
With this visa, you may:
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live with your family and work in Australia for a number of years upon graduation
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accumulate valuable local work experience which is crucial if you wish to permanently settle in Australia through skilled visas (e.g. Subclass 189, Subclass 190, Subclass 491) or employer sponsored visas (e.g. Subclass 482, Subclass 186, Subclass 494)
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potentially bring your extended family members to Australia permanently on parent visa or visa intended for other relatives
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travel overseas and back to Australia for any purposes (e.g. overseas holiday, visiting family and/or attending family matters in home country)
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work in Australia without any limitations
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study in Australia without any limitations
Application Fees
You may include your family in your Subclass 485 visa application so your entire family can live together in Australia.
Graduate Work Stream & Post-study Work Stream
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Primary applicant: $1730
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Each additional applicant aged 18 or above: $865
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Each additional applicant under 18: $425
Second Post-study Work Stream
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Primary applicant: $680
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Each additional applicant aged 18 or above: $340
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Each additional applicant under 18: $170
Please note: you may incur third-party charges, for example, for translation, English test, police certificate and health exam.
Processing Time
Kindly note the processing time constantly varies. Please contact us for update.
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75% of applications: 10 months
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90% of applications: 11 months
