What is the 485 graduate visa in Australia and who can apply?

Direct answer: Yes. Study Australia (n.d.) describes three streams, and the qualification you use decides the stream. A degree leads to the Post-Higher Education Work stream, a diploma or trade qualification leads to the Post-Vocational Education Work stream, and some regional graduates can later apply for a second visa.

The names changed after the government's 2023 review. The Department of Home Affairs (2023) announced that the old Post-Study Work and Graduate Work streams would be renamed Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work "to be more descriptive for the relevant applicants" (p. 69). The choice is not cosmetic, because Study Australia (n.d.) warns that it is not possible to change streams after you apply. A student finishing a Bachelor, Master's or PhD therefore applies in the Post-Higher Education Work stream, while a diploma graduate must also hold a qualification closely related to an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List.

Direct answer: The Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) lists the core conditions: be 35 or under (under 50 for research Master's and PhD graduates), be in Australia, have held a Student visa in the last 6 months, hold a recent CRICOS degree, and show health insurance, an Australian Federal Police check application and English evidence.

The timing condition catches many graduates. The Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) says that you must have been awarded an eligible degree "in the 6 months immediately before the day you apply for your visa", and it adds that the degree counts regardless of your field of study. The clock starts with the award, so a student who waits for a graduation ceremony months later can run out of time. The same page states that a person who previously held a subclass 485 or 476 visa as a primary applicant cannot be granted this visa as a primary applicant again.

English is the second common trap. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) sets an IELTS Academic overall score of 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each part, or PTE Academic 55 overall, and the result must come from the 12 months before you apply. The Department of Home Affairs (2023) had already flagged a rise in the IELTS requirement for this visa from 6.0 to 6.5 (p. 65), so older scores quoted online can mislead.

Direct answer: The stay depends on the qualification. The Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) lists 2 years for a Bachelor or coursework Master's, and 3 years for a research Master's or a doctoral degree. It also states plainly: "We cannot extend this visa." Regional graduates may qualify for a second visa instead.

The standard periods are 2 years after a Bachelor or coursework Master's and 3 years after a research Master's or doctorate. Some passports carry different periods. Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay up to 5 years, and Indian nationals receive longer periods under the Australia India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, for example 4 years after a PhD (Department of Home Affairs, n.d.-b). Longer stays quoted in older blogs came from an earlier extension of post-study work rights. The Department of Home Affairs (2023) then announced shorter post-study work rights and stated that "the extension of post-study work rights will no longer be available" (p. 68), except for graduates who studied in a regional area, which is why older figures no longer apply.

The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is the only extension-like route. Study Australia (n.d.) gives it a length of between 1 and 2 years, depending on the regional location of the institution you graduated from and the regional area you live in.

Direct answer: Yes. Study Australia (n.d.) says that holders can "work unrestricted hours in any sector", so there is no weekly cap of the kind that applies to student visas. You are not tied to one employer, and the Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) adds that you must find your own employment.

The policy purpose explains this generosity. The Department of Home Affairs (2023) states: "Graduate visas are available to former student visa holders. The visa provides full work rights and allows international students to gain work experience in Australia's labour market after finishing their studies" (p. 67). The same strategy is frank about the result, noting that many international graduates work below their skill level (Department of Home Affairs, 2023, p. 63), so the stay is most useful when it is spent building experience in the field of your degree.

Direct answer: Not by itself. The 485 is temporary, and permanent residence needs a separate application with its own criteria. Study Australia (n.d.) notes that eligible holders who meet work experience requirements may apply for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa while still in Australia.

The one stated exception concerns Hong Kong passport holders, for whom the Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) says that current and future Temporary Graduate visa holders "may have a pathway to permanent residency after 5 years". For everyone else, a graduate visa is a period of open work rights, and the decision to stay longer rests on skilled work, employer sponsorship such as the subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, or the points test. Those rules change, so this guide gives no migration advice beyond pointing to the official pages. If you need advice on your own case, the Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) says that only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person may give immigration assistance.

Direct answer: The Department of Home Affairs (n.d.-b) does not print a fixed fee on the stream page; it asks you to use its Visa Pricing Estimator, and notes extra costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Processing times come from its processing time guide tool, which it calls "a guide only".

Two cost details are worth knowing before you budget. The Temporary Graduate visa is exempt from the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge, and family members who join later as subsequent entrants must pay the full Visa Application Charge (Department of Home Affairs, n.d.-b). A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. On speed, the Department of Home Affairs (2023) committed to processing times for the Post-Higher Education Work stream "backed by a 21-day service standard" (p. 69), but the live guide tool is the figure to rely on.

Planning the last semester matters because the visa clock runs from the award of the degree, part of what the Department of Education (2023) called strengthened and simplified Temporary Graduate visas. If you are planning further study or a skilled visa application, MAAS advisers under study abroad and SOP consulting can review your plans and documents, which you write yourself.