The Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa gives recent graduates in Australia the opportunity to live and work in Australia following their studies, and is a great way to gain Australian work experience and transition into an application for Permanent Residency.
If you are an international student under 50 years old and have recently completed 2 years of full-time study in Australia you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate Visa.
There are two streams of the Graduate Visa
1. The Graduate Work Stream This stream is for international students who graduate with skills and qualifications that relate to an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL). For this stream a 485 skills assessment for your occupation is also necessary. Through this pathway you can live and work in Australia for 18 months.
2. The Post-Study Work Stream This stream is for international students who graduate with a bachelor, masters or doctoral degree from an Australian education provider. Unlike the Graduate Work Stream any study area is applicable for this visa. To be eligible you must have applied for your first Student visa to Australia on or after 5 November 2011. Through this pathway you can live and work in Australia for up to 4 years.
The duration of this visa depends on your qualification:
2 years if you have completed Bachelor Degree, Bachelor Degree with Honours, Masters by Coursework or Masters (extended) Degree 3 years if you have completed a Masters By Research Degree 4 years if you have completed a Doctoral Degree
For both of these streams you do need to meet the English Language requirement and demonstrate that you have Competent English. This is usually demonstrated with an IELTS score of 6 in each band of the test. Passport holders of the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and USA are exempt from this requirement.
The course finish date of your Australian study must have been within the past 6 months and you do need to be in Australia and holding a valid visa when making this application.
You will also need to arrange an Australian Police Check, a Medical Examination and demonstrate you have adequate Health Insurance for the application.
You can include your family members in this application, including your spouse, de-facto partner or dependent children.
The processing time for this application can be up to 12 months, but during this time you will have a bridging visa that will allow you to remain in Australia until the visa is finalised.
The skilled work experience you gain during this time can be helpful transition if you intend to apply for Permanent Residency such as a Skilled Independent (Subclass 189 or 190) Visa in the future and need further work experience for your skills assessment or for the purposes of points.
Inna Feldmann
National Operations Manager
