
The Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa allows international students who have recently graduated from an Australian educational institution to live, work, and study in Australia temporarily. The visa has two main streams: Graduate Work Stream and Post-Study Work Stream. Know the requirements, benefits, and process to obtain.
The 485 visa Australia allows students to live, study, and work in the country after completing their qualification. It is a temporary visa for international students. The students should have completed 2 years of study in the country. As an applicant, you must be in the country to apply for a 485 visa. You should have held an eligible student visa before the lodgement of your application. This should be within the 6 months before submitting the application. Therefore, a temporary graduate visa in Australia is a good way to extend your stay in the country and improve your chances of getting a skilled visa or permanent residency. You can also include your family members in the application.
This will provide you with a unique opportunity to build a professional network in Australia.
There are a number of eligibility criteria requirements for a 485 visa in Australia.
The main applicant should be 35 years of age or under.
You can also be under 50 years of age when you apply if you have used a Master's doctoral degree to meet the requirement for the grant of your post higher education work or post study work stream visa.
You should have studied with an Australian education provider in a designated regional area. Your qualification should be in the post higher education work or study work stream from an Australian education provider who is registered on CRICOS. The campus that you have studied in must be based in a designated regional area.
As the holder of a temporary graduate visa, you should have lip only in the designated regional area for at least 2 years before applying for a second post higher education work stream visa.
You should have adequate health insurance for yourself and your family members. You should be able to meet all the health and character requirements as desired by the department. You will need to provide a police certificate and get a health examination.
If you are above the age of 18 years, you should be aware of life in Australia and should sign the Australian values statement, which will confirm that you respect the Australian way of living and will obey the laws in the country.
Ensure that you owe no debts to the Australian government. In case any debts are owed, you will have to pay them back, or your application will be refused.
It is also important to have a clean immigration history. You may not be eligible for a 485 visa if you have had cancellations or refusals previously.
Work visa subclasses are divided into two groups: temporary work visas and permanent (or provisional) skilled migration visas.
Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482)
This was the replacement of the temporary skill shortage visa by the skills in demand visa, that came into effect in December 2024. The approved sponsor can sponsor you for up to four years either in the core skills, specialist skills or Labour Agreement Stream.
Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417 and 462)
The visa is targeted at young adults, usually within the age of 18 to 30 years (or even 35 years for certain nationals). This allows you to travel and work in Australia for one year, extendable through suitable employment.
Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485)
This visa allows international graduates to stay in Australia on a temporary basis and work after completing an approved course in Australia. This visa stream is available for a period of time determined by the qualification that you have.
Training visa (Subclass 407)
The purpose of this visa is to allow the applicant to train in an organised and workplace based way to improve their skills in the job that they have or in a professional development program for up to two years.
Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189)
Points-based visa for skilled worker invitations that needs neither nomination nor sponsorship. It allows obtaining Australian permanent residence wherever you want in Australia, if your job falls under one of the relevant lists and you have enough points.
Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190)
This permanent, points-tested visa is dependent on nomination from an Australian state or territory government. The nominated candidates will earn some additional points to the overall 65 points requirement. They also agree to live in the nominating state for some time.
Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186)
This permanent visa enables an employer from Australia to nominate a skilled worker in an existing job position. The two streams included in the permanent visa program are the direct entry stream and the temporary residence transition stream.
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa (Subclass 494)
Temporary employer sponsored visa to regional Australia, which is valid for a period of five years. This temporary visa then qualifies for the Subclass 191 visa, after residing in the region on this visa for a period of three years and satisfying income criteria.

The processing time varies from 9 months to one year. This delay can be due to the following reasons:
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If you have resided in a regional designated area for at least 2 years while still holding a temporary graduate visa in post higher education work, post study work or replacement stream, then you are ready to apply for the visa for the 485 visa. You have to be present in the country to apply for this visa.
You will need a lot of paperwork to work on the application. The department will make a decision on your application using all the information that you provide while lodging it. You will have to ensure that all your documents are in order before submitting your application. This is important to avoid any delays in the processing of your visa.
You will need to provide accurate information regarding your identity, age proof, marriage, change of name, and residence documents showing the evidence of residence. The evidence of residence can be provided by the following:
The department will also ask about your work and study documents. This will be needed to establish that you have worked or studied in the regionally designated area. Your health insurance documents, such as a Medicare card, a letter from the insurance provider, will act as evidence of your health insurance.
In order to prove your good character, you may require an overseas police certificate from your home country. Your partner’s documentation, which will show your relationship with your partner, also needs to be attached to your documentation. The relationship can be a marriage or a de facto relationship.
You must apply for this visa online by creating an ImmiAccount. You will attach all your documents supporting evidence along with your application. If you are applying for your family members, then each family member must have paid their visa application fee, and the documents should be attached to the application.
After all the documentation is complete, you will then pay the visa application charge. No applications are processed until the fee has been paid.
The department will let you know giving your application and the documents are received. You can be in or outside the country when the decision on your application is in process. If any additional documentation is required, you will need to produce it immediately to avoid any delays in the processing.
The three streams are: Post-vocational education work stream, Post higher education work stream, and Second Post higher education work stream
Yes, if you provide incorrect information or incomplete or false evidence, then you will have to face rejection.
The age limit has been lowered for the 485 visa. The age of the applicant should be less than or up to 35 years.
With a graduate work stream visa, you can stay in the country for up to 10 months. The post-study work stream will allow you to stay in the country for 2-4 years.
Yes, you can work full-time in Australia with any of the streams of this visa.
Yes, you can include your family members in your application.



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