Subclass 485 — Temporary Graduate visa

Eligibility snapshot

In general terms: a recent eligible qualification from an Australian provider that meets the Australian study requirement, age within the published limit for the stream, English evidence, health insurance, and lodgement within the window after course completion. Streams and stay periods have changed several times — always check the official page for the current settings. General information only.

Frequently asked questions

Health and character checks

Most people applying for an Australian visa are asked to meet the health requirement, and the Temporary Graduate visa is generally no exception. The Department of Home Affairs uses this requirement to protect public health and to help manage demand on health and community services. Applicants may be asked to complete health examinations so that a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth can assess whether any condition would be a significant cost to health services or would affect access for others. Any examinations that are required are arranged through the Department's own process rather than with an ordinary local doctor. Character is assessed under the Migration Act 1958. Applicants are generally asked to declare any criminal charges or convictions in any country and to answer all questions truthfully. The Department may then request supporting documents such as a police certificate, and for this visa applicants are usually asked to show they have applied for an Australian Federal Police check at the time they lodge. An Australian police check for immigration purposes is obtained through the Australian Federal Police National Police Check, selecting the immigration and citizenship code (Code 33); state or territory certificates are not accepted for this purpose. Police certificates from other countries may also be requested where a person has lived there long enough, and such certificates are generally treated as valid for 12 months from their issue date.

Adequate health insurance

Applicants for the Temporary Graduate visa are generally asked to provide evidence of adequate health insurance for every person included in the application at the time it is lodged. Because holders of this visa are usually not covered by Medicare in the same way as residents, the Australian Government's private health information service notes that working-visa applicants, including subclass 485, typically take out Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC). This is different from the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) that applies while a person holds a Student visa. Cover levels, cost and exclusions can vary widely between policies. Commonly highlighted points include waiting periods for pre-existing conditions, limits on what is paid for pharmaceuticals, and the fact that hospital costs for overseas visitors can be high. Applicants are generally encouraged to check that a chosen policy actually meets the requirements attached to their visa.

Costs and the Visa Application Charge

The main government cost for this visa is the Visa Application Charge, which is paid to the Department of Home Affairs. This departmental charge is separate from any fee charged by a service, platform or adviser. According to the Department's visa listing, the base charge for the Post-Vocational Education Work and Post-Higher Education Work streams is published as starting from AUD5,750.00, while the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is published as starting from AUD2,265.00. A lower charge applies for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, in limited circumstances. The published figures are a starting point only. The Department provides a Visa Pricing Estimator that gives an estimate based on the information entered. That estimate does not cover other costs, such as health examinations, police certificates or health insurance, which applicants usually pay separately.

Visa length and timing

How long this visa is granted for depends on the stream. The Department describes the Post-Vocational Education Work stream as generally granted for up to 18 months, the Post-Higher Education Work stream usually for between two and three years depending on the qualification, and the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream for between one and two years. Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders may be granted a longer stay of up to five years. Timing also matters at the application stage. Applicants are generally expected to have held a Student visa within the previous six months and to have met the visa's study requirement, and for the higher-education streams applicants usually need to be in Australia when they apply. Processing times vary and are not fixed. The Department publishes a visa processing time guide tool that shows how long recently decided applications have taken; it is indicative only and not specific to any one application. Where police certificates are provided in support, they are generally treated as valid for 12 months from their issue date.

Visa conditions that generally apply

Visa conditions are legal obligations that attach to a visa. They are listed on the visa grant notice and can be checked online through the Department of Home Affairs VEVO service. The exact conditions depend on the stream and on each individual grant, so a holder's own grant notice is the definitive record. For the Post-Vocational Education Work stream and the Post-Higher Education Work stream, the condition the Department lists for this visa is 8501, which requires the holder to maintain adequate health insurance for their stay in Australia. For the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, the Department lists condition 8610, which requires the holder to live, work and study only in a designated regional area of Australia. The Temporary Graduate visa generally allows the holder to live, study and work in Australia during its validity. Holders are still expected to comply with every condition shown on their own grant notice and in VEVO, and to check VEVO for the specific work and study conditions that apply to them. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility in detail: streams and key factors

There are three current streams. The Post-Vocational Education Work stream is for applicants who meet the study requirement with an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification relevant to an occupation on the skilled occupation list, with a stay of up to 18 months. The Post-Higher Education Work stream is for applicants with a degree-level qualification or higher, with a stay usually between two and three years depending on the qualification. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is for eligible graduates who studied and lived in a regional area while holding an earlier Temporary Graduate visa, with a stay of one to two years. A stream cannot be changed after an application is lodged. Across the streams, decision-makers generally look at a common set of core factors. Applicants are generally asked to be aged 35 or under when they apply (limited exceptions apply), to have held a Student visa in the last six months, to hold an eligible visa, and to be in Australia when they apply. They are also generally asked to have completed a recent qualification in a CRICOS-registered course that meets the Temporary Graduate study requirement. Applicants are generally asked to provide evidence of the required level of English (unless an exemption applies), evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants, and evidence that they have applied for an Australian Federal Police check as part of the character requirements, and to meet health requirements. Some factors are stream-specific. The Post-Vocational Education Work stream generally requires a qualification relevant to a nominated occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list, together with related requirements such as a skills assessment where applicable. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream generally requires an eligible regional study and residence history. This visa does not use a points test and does not require employer sponsorship or nomination. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

Members of the family unit, such as a partner and dependent children, can generally be included in the application if they are in Australia at the time of application. Children can generally be added to the application until a decision is made, but other family unit members cannot be added after lodgement. A family member who is added after the visa is granted generally applies as a subsequent entrant, from inside or outside Australia, and must meet health and character requirements. After grant, the visa generally allows the holder to live, study and work in Australia temporarily. Holders must find their own employment. The visa starts on the date it is granted, and holders can generally travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid. The length of stay depends on the stream and qualification, and the visa cannot be extended. Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders may be granted up to five years, and longer periods apply to certain qualifications for Indian nationals under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement. As to further pathways, a holder may be eligible to apply for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream or for other skilled work visas, but the Temporary Graduate visa is itself temporary and does not automatically lead to permanent residence. The Department has noted that Hong Kong graduates may have a pathway to permanent residence after five years. Holder obligations generally include maintaining adequate health insurance for the stay (condition 8501, for the relevant streams) and keeping contact and personal details up to date. Because holders are expected to maintain their own health insurance, any entitlement to Medicare is determined separately by Services Australia. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the ART

Applications of this type are commonly refused when a core criterion is not met on the evidence provided. Factual examples drawn from the eligibility rules include being over the age limit when applying, not meeting the study requirement or the requirement to have held a Student visa in the last six months, insufficient evidence of the required level of English, inadequate evidence of health insurance, no evidence of an Australian Federal Police check, or not meeting health or character requirements. Because a stream cannot be changed after lodgement, applying in the wrong stream can also lead to refusal. If an application is unsuccessful, the decision letter from the Department of Home Affairs states whether the decision is reviewable and who is entitled to apply for a review. An independent review of the decision may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal, which can review a range of decisions to refuse or cancel visas made under the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations 1994. Strict time limits apply and are set out in the decision letter, and a fee is generally payable to lodge a review application, with a fee reduction or a refund possible in some circumstances. On review, the Tribunal independently reconsiders the decision. This information is strictly factual and neutral. It is not a prediction about any particular application and does not indicate whether any decision would be changed. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs: the government charge and other expenses

The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge (VAC). For the Post-Vocational Education Work stream and the Post-Higher Education Work stream, the base charge for the main applicant is from AUD 5,750.00. For the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, the base charge for the main applicant is from AUD 2,265.00. Concessions apply in limited circumstances, and a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders (and their family members) who lodge a valid application. Each family member who applies at the same time attracts an additional applicant charge, set at different rates for applicants aged 18 and over and for those aged under 18. The VAC is structured in instalments, with a first instalment payable when the application is made and a second instalment that may be payable before grant, though the second instalment is nil for many applicants. Exact amounts for a particular family group should be worked out using the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator. Subsequent entrants, including children born offshore, generally pay the full Visa Application Charge. The Temporary Graduate visa is exempt from the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge. The Department does not usually refund the Visa Application Charge, even if an application is refused or withdrawn. If charges are paid by credit card or PayPal, a payment surcharge may apply; the Department's published rates include 1.40% for Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB, 1.01% for PayPal, and 1.90% for UnionPay, and the surcharge also applies to debit Visa and debit Mastercard payments. Other departmental or third-party costs can include health examinations, police certificates and biometrics, and, for streams that require one, a skills assessment fee charged by the relevant assessing authority. All of these government and third-party charges are separate from any service or platform fee a person may pay to a provider, and the government Visa Application Charge is always separate from any platform fee. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.