Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)- Australia

Candidates who have a student visa in Australia that is about to expire will be able to apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa if they wish to continue living or studying in the country. This is the same visa that one will have to apply for if they wish to find an employment opportunity in the country once their course has been completed. Candidates who plan on working in the country will be able to apply for a permanent visa eventually if they end up working for a few years.

It is required that candidates who apply for this visa should have done a course in an Australian university with a duration of over 92 weeks at least with the medium of instruction being English. The visa is provided to people who are qualified in a specific skill set that is required by the country and candidates will have to prove their academic proficiency in the set field while applying for the visa.

Basic Eligibility for Temporary Graduate Visa

Candidates who are applying for the Temporary Graduate Visa will have to be The basic eligibility requirements to apply for a temporary graduate visa are as follows-

• Candidate should be below 35 years of age (50 years old if Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport holder or applying for this visa using a Masters or Doctoral Degree)
• Candidate should currently have an eligible visa
• Candidate should have had a student visa in the last 6 months
• Candidate should have taken one of the following degrees from an Australian University-
  • Bachelor's Degree or Bachelor's Honors Degree
  • Master's Extended or Coursework Degree
  • Master's Degree through Research
  • Ph.D.
• Candidate should be qualified in a CRICOS-registered course in recent times
• Candidate should be able to provide all supporting documents along with the application
• Candidate should have a skill or qualification that Australia needs

Educational Requirement for Temporary Graduate Visa

The candidate should have completed a course that is registered by the CRICOS and they should be able to provide proof of completing the program. The program should ideally have a duration of 2 years and it should have been completed within the last 16 months of applying for the visa. The course that was completed can either be a degree, a diploma, or even a trade qualification. The occupation that the candidate chooses must pertain to the educational qualification.

English Language Requirements

Candidates applying for the Temporary Graduate Visa will have to submit proof of proficiency in English. For this, they will have to take one of the international tests for the language like IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE, etc. There are certain scores that candidates are supposed to receive to be eligible for the visa. These scores are-

• IELTS - overall score of 6.5 or above
• TOEFL iBT - overall score of 83 or above
• PTE Academic - overall score of 57 or above
• OET - grade B or above in each part
• Cambridge C1 Advanced - overall score of 176 or above

Candidates who are passport holders of the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland will not have to meet this requirement.

General Documents Required for the Subclass 485 Visa

The general documents that are required while applying for a Temporary Graduate Visa include-

• A valid passport
• Passport-size photograph
• Educational Transcript
• Proof of Course Completion
• Proof of Valid Health Insurance
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Meet Character Requirements by providing a police certificate
• A Signed Australian Values Statement

Types of Temporary Graduate Visa

There are three types of Temporary Graduate Visa which are based on the educational qualification and skill set of the candidate. Candidates who apply for the subclass 485 visa must have a career related to their field of study. They will not be provided with a visa if they apply for a career that is unrelated to their qualification irrespective of their caliber in the field. The types of visas and their basic information are as follows-

• Post-Vocational Education Workstream (previously Graduate Work Stream)- This visa is provided to international students who have both the skillset and qualifications in a career field required by Australia. Candidates will be able to live, study, and work with this visa for a certain period.
• Post-Higher Education Workstream (previously Post-Study Work Stream)- This visa is provided to international students who have a recent Australian degree. Candidates can live, work, and study in the country with this visa. This visa will have a longer duration than the Graduate Work Stream based on the qualification of the candidate.
• Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream (previously Second Post-Work Stream- Candidates who have their first Post-Study Work Stream visa will be able to apply for this visa. Those with a first Graduate Work Stream Visa will not be able to apply for this visa. They can live, study, and work in the country with this visa.
• Replacement Stream- This visa is intended for current or former temporary graduate visa holders who were denied travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, thus losing time on their original visa. The Replacement stream has come to a halt.

Type of Subclass 485 Visa	Validity	Cost
Post-Vocational Education Work stream	18 months	AUD 1,945
Post-Higher Education Work stream	2 to 3 years	AUD 1,945
Second Post-Higher Education Work stream	1 to 2 years	AUD 765

Post-Vocational Education Workstream (Graduate Work Stream)

The Post-Vocational Education Workstream Visa is provided to candidates who have a particular skill set that is listed in the country's skilled occupation list. They will also have to have qualifications related to the required skillset. The cost of this visa starts at AUD 1,945. Applicant must be in Australia at the time of application. Candidates will be able to bring their family along with them if they have this visa though this will require additional visa applications and extra charges.

Duration of the Visa

The duration for which this visa is valid is for up to 18 months. Candidates who are Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders will be able to stay for 5 years in total. Candidates will be able to leave and enter the country multiple times if they have this visa.

Skills Required by Australia

Australia has listed plenty of career options under its required skills list. A few of these include-

• Actuary
• Advertising Manager
• Book/Script Editor
• Botanist
• Copywriter
• Electronics Engineer
• Software Engineer
• Wine Maker
• Life Scientist
• Interior Designer

Post-Higher Education Workstream (Post-Study Work Stream)

This visa does not require candidates to have a specified skillset, but they will have to be qualified with a degree from an Australian university. The cost of the visa starts at AUD 1,945. When applying, the candidate must be in Australia. Candidates will be able to bring their immediate family if they have this visa.

Duration of visa

The duration of this visa is anywhere between 2 to 4 years with the exact duration being dependent on the educational qualification of the candidate. Those with a bachelor’s degree, an honors degree, or a master's degree under research or coursework will get 2 years and those with a doctoral degree will be able to stay for a maximum of 3 years. Candidates who are Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders will get a 5-year duration on this visa. Since it is a multiple-entry visa, candidates will be able to leave and return to the country as many times as they want when they have this visa.

NOTE- The duration of stay for Indian nationals, as stipulated in the Australia-India - Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), remains unchanged. Individuals holding a bachelor's degree or an honors degree are entitled to a stay of 2 years, while those possessing a master's degree, whether through research or coursework, are granted a stay of 3 years. Furthermore, individuals with a doctoral degree are permitted to remain for a maximum of 4 years.

Second Post-Higher Education Workstream (Second Post-Study Work Stream)

This visa is provided to candidates who have previously had a Post-Higher Education Workstream Visa. It will be provided based on the region in which their educational institution was located along with the verification of the terms under which the candidate got the first Post-Study Work Stream Visa. The cost for the visa starts at AUD 765. While applying, the applicant should be in Australia. The applicant must have previously held a Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, or a Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream and have a Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream.

Duration of the Visa

This visa will allow the candidate to stay in the country for a duration of 1 to 2 years based on the region they are living in. If they live in a Category 2 area, the visa will expire in 1 year and if they live in a Category 3 area, their visa will expire in 2 years. The place they are living in should also be the place they have studied. Only immediate family members will be able to accompany the candidate if they have this visa.

Steps to Apply for Temporary Graduate Visa

Candidates will have to keep track of their student visa while in the country and they will have to ideally apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa before 6 months of the expiry date of their student visa. One other criterion to prepare for the application is to ensure that they have stayed in the country for at least 2 years. Once it is time to apply for the visa, they will have to gather all required documents including educational transcripts and proof of course completion. Candidates who are not UK, US, New Zealand, or Canada passport holders will have to get their proof of language proficiency, as well, before applying.

The Temporary Graduate Visa can be applied through only the online mode by visiting the official website of the Department of Home Affairs. They will be able to fill in all required details and upload the necessary documents before being directed to the payment portal. Once the payment has been completed, candidates will be able to wait for the approval of the visa. The steps involved in the application process include-

Create Account in ImmiAccount

Candidates will have to visit the official website of the Department of Home Affairs where they will be able to create an account by providing their basic information. Once the account has been created, they will have to log into the portal.

Fill Details & Submit Documents

Candidates will then have to provide their details when prompted and submit all documents that support their statements. Ensure that everything is typed accurately since errors can cause a delay in the visa approval process.

Provide the Visa Charge

Candidates will have to pay a certain amount for both themselves and their families who are accompanying them.

Submit the Application

Paying the application fee will only be the second last step since candidates will be prompted to submit the final application. Once this step is completed, they will be able to wait for the approval of the visa.

Note: The visa will not be provided as a hard copy to candidates. It will be linked digitally to their passport and candidates will therefore not have a sticker attached to their passport, either.

Visa Processing Time

Graduate and Post-Study Work have different processing times for Temporary Graduate Visa. The following table details the different processing times:

Visa Stream	50% applications processed in	90% applications processed in
Post-Vocational Education Work stream	6 months	8 months
Post-Higher Education Work stream	3 months	5 months

However, if any information needed for the visa is missing or incomplete, the processing time may increase.