Navigating Visa Subclass 485: Your Easy Migrate Requirements Guide!

5 min readAug 25, 2023

Many international students plan to stay back after their studies, and their student visa expires. For them, the Visa Subclass 485 is the most suitable option. It is an Australian temporary visa granted to specific international students who have recently finished their graduation. The minimum requirement is that you should have studied for a minimum of 2 years at an Australian institute, and the visa application should be lodged within 6 months of completing your course.

If you are interested, read this blog as it provides a detailed account of the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485 Visa requirements, processing times, and how it can open your pathway to permanent residency.

What are the common requirements for the 485 Visa?

To be eligible for the 485 Visa Australia, you have to meet the following general eligibility requirements.

Age requirement
Your age must be less than 50.
Satisfy the Australian study requirements
All Graduate Visa applicants in Australia must meet the following Australian study requirements.
You should have completed at least a Diploma or a Certificate III Trade Qualification Course. Candidates with higher degrees like a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate are also eligible to apply for the visa.
Your Australian course should have been registered on the CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students). The total study period should have been at least 2 academic years.
According to the CRICOS, the total registered study period is 92 weeks.
Even if you have taken 2 courses, both courses should have met the requirements mentioned here and resulted in 2 years of study.
You will be eligible if you meet the 2-year requirement even after a break in your Studies.

Visa application deadline

The visa application should be made within 6 months of the completion of your course. Note that by completion, of course, we mean the date of publication of final results and not the ‘Graduation Day.’ In most universities, Graduation Day falls after several months of final result publication. So, you should be very careful about this fact.

Apply onshore

This is an onshore visa. It means you must be physically present in Australia both at the time of visa application and visa grant. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are some border restrictions imposed. Check out the website of the Department of Home Affairs to find out the latest updates.

English language requirements

When lodging your Graduate Visa 485 application, you must demonstrate your English language skills. However, you will be exempt from this condition if you hold a passport from the USA, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, or Canada. Otherwise, you have to provide the following evidence.

If you sit in the IELTS (Academic or General), you have to achieve a minimum overall band score of 6, and not less than 5 in every four bands.
Applicants taking the OET (Occupation English Test) have to score B in each band.
The minimum overall band score required for candidates taking PTE Academic is 50, with 36 for each band.
If you appear in the TOEFL iBT (Internet-based test), you should obtain a total score of at least 64.
The minimum overall score for applicants with CAE (Cambridge Advanced English) qualifications is 169, with 154 in each band.

Health insurance requirements

Every visa holder in Australia must have sufficient private health insurance coverage. As a student, you will require the OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover). With this insurance being valid, you can also apply for the Visa Subclass 485. However, you must have the Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) at the time of the visa grant. Without this cover, your application will not be approved.

Health requirements

For the visa 485, you will be required to go through medical checkups. But before undertaking those examinations, it is recommended to ask the authorities.

Character requirements

All visa applicants over 16 years of age must go through a check by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). You have to apply for the check before lodging your application and submit the necessary document when you apply.

Stream-specific requirements that you need to fulfill

In addition to the general Visa 485 requirements, you must meet the stream-specific eligibility criteria to qualify.

Graduate Work Stream Visa (GWS)

For this visa stream, having a graduate diploma or a trade qualification certificate will be enough.
You also have to nominate an occupation listed on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List. A positive skills assessment in the occupation will be necessary to demonstrate you have the correct skill set required for the job.
Make sure your academic qualification is at least closely related to the occupation.

Post-Study Work Stream Visa (PSWV)

You must have an academic qualification of a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, or a PhD.
You will not need to nominate any skilled occupation.
However, you must check if you have applied for your Australian student visa after 05 November 2011. If you held this visa before this date, the Department of Home Affairs would not allow you to apply for this visa.

Visa application processing time

The 485 Visa processing time is not the same for the two streams. While 75% of the GWS applications get processed in 8 months, 90% take about 11 months. On the other hand, the processing time for 75% of the PSWV applications is 6 months, and that for the 90% of applications is 7 months.

How can the Graduate Visa Subclass 485 help you achieve permanent residency in Australia?

According to the rule, no temporary Australian visa allows the holder to obtain automatic permanent residence. But, if you can plan strategically, your Subclass 485 Visa Australia for a PR before it expires.

There are several options available, like visas under the Employer-Sponsored Migration and the General Skilled Migration Schemes. Usually, you will need to apply for another Australian temporary visa. But, you can also get your permanent residency visa application approved immediately after the Graduate Visa 485.

However, before proceeding, it is mandatory to check whether you are eligible and create an effective strategy to enhance your PR chances. A top-rated Perth migration agent can help you with this.

How can a migration agent be helpful?

A registered migration agent in Perth can help you understand the immigration process followed in Australia. Not only that, but they can also lodge the application for you. So, get in touch with the best migration agents and obtain a graduate visa easily.