Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485
Stay and work in Australia after a qualifying Australian qualification. The window runs from when you meet your course requirements, not from your graduation ceremony — and applying late is the most common way this visa is simply lost.
At a glance
- Visa type
- Temporary, post-studyLength depends on the stream and qualification
- Main streams
- Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Vocational Education WorkRenamed and restructured from 1 July 2024
- Core requirement
- The Australian study requirementMet by a qualifying course, correctly timed
- Age
- An age limit appliesIt changed on 1 July 2024 — we confirm the current limit and exemptions
- Our fee
- AUD 500*As published on our pricing page
Subclass 485
Which stream you are in
The 485 was restructured on 1 July 2024, including renamed streams and a changed age limit. Advice written before then — and there is a lot of it still online — can be wrong in ways that cost you the visa.
Post-Higher Education Work stream
For graduates of an Australian higher education degree. This is the stream most university graduates use, and it does not require a skills assessment or a nominated occupation.
Post-Vocational Education Work stream
For graduates with a qualifying vocational qualification. This stream does require a nominated occupation on the relevant list and a positive skills assessment.
Second visas
Second Post-Higher Education Work arrangements exist for some graduates, and eligibility is specific. Worth checking rather than assuming.
Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders
Separate arrangements have applied to these applicants. If this is you, get the current position checked directly.
Eligibility
What the Department requires
The study requirement and the timing are where nearly everything is decided. The rest is documentation.
- 01
The Australian study requirement
Met through a qualifying course completed in Australia within the required period. What counts is specific, and it is not simply "I studied here".
- 02
Applying within the window
The period runs from when you met your course requirements, not from your graduation ceremony or your testamur date.
- 03
A recent eligible qualification
In the relevant stream. For Post-Vocational Education Work, tied to an occupation on the relevant list.
- 04
A skills assessment, for the vocational stream
From the assessing authority for your nominated occupation. Not required for the higher education stream.
- 05
English at the required level
With the evidence current when you apply.
- 06
Health insurance, health and character
Adequate cover for your stay, plus examinations and police certificates.
- 07
Age below the applicable limit
The limit changed on 1 July 2024 and exemptions exist for some applicants. We confirm the current figure against the Department for your case.
How we work
What we actually do for you
You should know whether an application is viable before you spend money on it. If it is not yet, we say so and set out what would change that.
- 01
Get your completion letter and come in
The moment you have it. This is the trigger for the window, and the window is finite.
- 02
Confirm the stream and the study requirement
Higher education or vocational, and whether your course actually satisfies the requirement.
- 03
Skills assessment, if the vocational stream applies
Occupation chosen against your qualification and your longer-term plan, not just to get through this step.
- 04
Lodge complete, onshore where possible
With English, health cover and identity evidence in order.
- 05
Plan what comes after
A 485 is a finite runway for building points or finding a sponsor. Use it deliberately from day one.
Where it goes wrong
Why these applications fail
Refusals are rarely a surprise in hindsight. These are the patterns we see most, and all four are avoidable with advice before lodgement rather than after a decision.
Waiting for the graduation ceremony
The window starts when you meet the course requirements. Ceremonies can be months later, and by then the window may be gone.
Assuming the course qualifies
The Australian study requirement is specific. A course that felt like study in Australia does not automatically satisfy it.
Relying on pre-July 2024 advice
The streams were renamed and the age limit changed. Old blog posts and forum answers are a real hazard here.
Treating the 485 as an end in itself
It is time-limited. Graduates who spend the first year unfocused often find the points or the sponsor is not there when it expires.
Fees
What we charge
General information, not personal advice. This page explains how the visa works in general terms. It is not immigration assistance for your circumstances, and reading it does not create a client relationship.
Requirements, thresholds, charges and processing priorities change. The Department of Home Affairs is the authority on current settings, and we confirm them against your case in a consultation. Reviewed August 2026.
Advice on this page is provided by a MARA-registered migration agent, MARN 1793706. In Australia only registered agents may lawfully give immigration assistance for a fee.
Migration agent consultation
60 minutes, in person or online
Full assessment of your options with customised advice. Credited towards your visa professional fee if you proceed.
AUD 150Free for Scholar Hub students
485 Temporary Graduate Visa
Our professional fee
Document preparation, drafting and lodgement, and responses to the Department through to a decision.
AUD 500*As published on our pricing page
Our professional fees only. They exclude Department of Home Affairs visa application charges, skills assessment fees, English test fees and medical examinations.
See the full pricing page for other services.
Related pathways
Other visas we advise on
Most people are choosing between two or three of these. The immigration services page compares them side by side.
Student visa
500Full-time study with a registered provider, and the Genuine Student test.
Skilled Independent
189Points-tested permanent residence with no employer and no state involved.
Skilled Nominated
190Permanent residence with state nomination, which adds points to your score.
Skills in Demand
482Employer-sponsored temporary work, and the usual route into a 186.
Questions
What people ask
General guidance only, and policy changes. Your own circumstances are assessed in a consultation.