Australia post-study work visa: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

You must be 35 or younger when you apply, or under 50 if your qualifying degree is a master's by research or a doctorate, or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport. You must be in Australia, hold an eligible visa, have held a Student visa in the last 6 months, and have been awarded an eligible degree from a CRICOS-registered course in the 6 months before applying.

Eligible degrees are bachelor, honours, coursework, extended and research master's, and doctoral degrees; a graduate diploma also counts. The course must meet the Temporary Graduate study requirement, and since 25 November 2023 online study no longer receives pandemic-era concessions. Streams cannot be changed after lodging.

Unless you hold a UK, US, Canadian, New Zealand or Irish passport, you need an approved English test result obtained in the 12 months before applying at the level the department specifies; IELTS results with One Skill Retake are accepted if completed before lodging. You and your family must hold adequate health insurance when you apply and for the whole stay, and you must provide evidence that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check.

You can live, study and work in Australia with no restriction on employer or occupation, and travel in and out while the visa is valid; time abroad does not extend it. Length depends on the qualification: 2 years for bachelor and coursework master's degrees, 3 years for research master's and doctoral degrees, and 2 years by default for a graduate diploma.

The visa cannot be extended. Some graduates qualify for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream. Otherwise the usual next steps are employer sponsorship through the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) or a points-tested permanent visa through SkillSelect.