Temporary Graduate Subclass 485 Visa

Are you an international student who has just finished your studies in Australia? Do you want to extend your stay in Australia? Are you wondering what pathways can lead you to PR? Temporary Graduate Subclass 485 Visa can be one of your options.

A Graduate Visa Subclass 485 is a visa for an international student who wants to work after they have finished their 2-year studies in Australia.

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Written by Indah Melindasari, B.Com
Updated May 2020

Temporary Graduate Subclass 485 Visa Brief Overview

Temporary Graduate visa or better known as subclass 485 visa Australia is a good option for international students to extend their stay and upgrade their skills by working in Australia.

The applicant should be onshore and should have a valid student visa while applying for this application.

As of November 2019, there’s been concessions for the subclass 485 visa Australia. Students who graduate from the regional campus of a registered university/institution and if they would like to continue living in a regional area, they can get extra 1 or 2 years of post-study work rights.

Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Australia has 2 streams, the post-study work stream and the graduate work stream.

The post-study work stream is the stream for international students who have completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

Graduate work stream is for international students who have completed at least a diploma degree with the specific skill and qualifications requirement.

Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Australia Requirements

There are some basic requirements that the applicant needs to meet for the Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Australia, such as:

Must be under 50 years old;
Must hold an eligible visa, in this case, is a student visa;
Must have a recent qualification in a CRICOS-registered course;
Must meet the 2-year study requirement;
Must meet the English skill requirement;
If needed, you must provide the skill assessment from assessing authority.

You may include your spouse and dependent child on this application. Mostly, the processing time for this application is 84 days to 4 months.

The visa application fee is $1,650 AUD for the main applicant, $825 AUD for applicants over 18 years old, and $415 AUD for an applicant under 18 years old.

Can I apply PR after 485 visa?

Yes, the Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Australia can lead to a permanent residence visa by increasing your points for the points based General Skilled Migration Program visas such as the 489, 190, 189 visas. It may also help to reach the 3 years required work experience for the permanent employee sponsor visa such as Employer Sponsored 186 visa or Regional Sponsored RSMS 187 visa.

How many hours can you work on a 485 visa?

You may work full time on any stream of the 485 visa Australia. There is no limit to the work hours.

What is 485 visa called?

The 485 visa is referred to as the Temporary Graduate visa Subclass 485 and is broken down into 3 streams:

Post-Study Work stream;
Second Post-Study Work stream;
Graduate Work stream;

Second Post-Study Work stream visa 485 Australia

This visa 485 Australia stream is those with a first Temporary Graduate 485 visa Australia in the post-study work stream who graduated with a degree from an Australian institution located in a regional area. It will let you stay in Australia for a further 1 to 2 years in the regional area in which you obtained your degree.

Temporary Graduate 485 Visa Australia Frequently Asked Questions

ONE derland Consulting managing director and also registered migration agent, Indah Melindasari, B.Com (MARN 0961 448) is here to answer your subclass 485 visa questions!

What is the difference between the Graduate Work Stream and Post Study Stream of the 485 visa Australia?
- The difference is in the qualification requirement.
- The Graduate Work Stream of the subclass 485 visa Australia is eligible for applicants who just finished their diploma or advanced diploma.
- While the Post Study stream of the subclass 485 visa Australia is for applicants who have finished their bachelor, master, or PhD degree.
Is it mandatory to have a skill assessment when applying for the Graduate Work stream?
- Yes, it is. You need to have a positive outcome of skill assessment in order to be granted the 485 visa Australia.
If I am not meeting the criteria for IELTS requirement, what should I do?
- There are few options to be able to show your English capability. Apart from IELTS, you can try TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, OET, or Cambridge C1 Advanced Test.
I am holding an OSHC for my student visa. Can I use it for a subclass 485 visa Australia application?
- Unfortunately, you can’t. You would need to obtain OVHC as a requirement for this visa application.
What if my visa got refused? Can I appeal?
- You would need to have a look at the refusal letter given by the Department. If it stated the decision can be reviewed, therefore you can lodge an appeal within a specific timeframe.
How long does it take for processing the visa application for Graduate Work Stream and Post Study Stream?
- Graduate Work Stream processing time is between 5 – 6 months while the Post-Study Work stream is between 57 days – 6 months.
How much is the visa fee for a Temporary Graduate subclass 485 visa Australia?
- The visa fee is AUD 1,650 for the main applicant. The additional applicant over 18 years old will be charged AUD 825 and the additional applicant under 18 will be charged AUD 415.
Should I apply for the temporary graduate visa 485 Australia onshore or offshore?
- You can be inside Australia when applying for this visa. Due to COVID 19, the Department will allow the graduates to apply offshore and may grant this visa while the applicant is offshore.
Can I include my family members?
- Yes, you can include family members in your 485 visa Australia application when you apply. Family members who apply for the visa must meet our health and character requirements.
Is there any time limit to apply for a temporary graduate visa 485 Australia?
- Yes it is, you must apply within 6 months of completion of your Australian studies.
- You must either hold a student visa when you apply, or to have held a student visa within the last 6 months.
- You must also make sure that you apply prior to expiry of your student visa.
Will I get the bridging visa after I apply the visa onshore?
- If you apply for the onshore temporary graduate visa 485 Australia, before your student visa ceases, you will be granted the Bridging Visa A.
- This BVA will be your valid visa while waiting for the decision of the temporary graduate visa 485 Australia. Usually, this BVE will allow you to work in Australia.

Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Australia Four Steps Process

Check your eligibility for the visa Temporary Graduate 485 Visa

Make sure you check your eligibility to see if you meet all the criteria and requirements for Temporary Graduate Subclass 485 Visa. The requirements depend on each visa stream.

Skill Assessment – for Graduate Work Stream

You need to check with the assessing authority for your nominated occupation.

Then, apply for a skill assessment as one of the requirements for temporary graduate visa 485 Australia.

Visa Application

After you make sure that you have fulfilled the requirements for the visa 485 Australia, you can then gather all the required and additional documents to complete and support your application.

You can apply online through your IMMI account.

Visa Outcome

If successful, you can stay temporarily in Australia, depending on which stream you’ve applied for. If you get refused, the DHA will inform you in writing.