Amendment to the English language requirement and the health requirement for Temporary Graduate visas (Subclass 485) & Skilled Recognised Graduates(Subclass 476) have been passed and will come into effect from 18 April 2015.
English Language Requirement
The current English language requirement for 485 visas is “Competent English”, means applicants complete the IELTS test and must show a score of 6 in each band. It is likely that an average band score of 6 will apply, with a minimum score of 5 or 5.5 in each band. This will be beneficial to applicants who are struggling to meet the current requirement of minimum 6 in each band.
These changes affect both the 18 month Graduate Work stream as well as the Post Study Work Visa. The changes also affect the Skilled Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 visa. We will update as soon as we have exact details on the band scores required for the English requirement for 485 and 476 visas.
Health Requirement
From 18th April 2015, new amendments allows applicants for 485 visas can safely undertake medicals after lodgement of their application without needing to show evidence of having booked prior to lodgement.
Inna Feldmann
National Operations Manager
