Common FAQs about Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485

Posted by Immigration Agent Adelaide on February 9, 2022

The temporary graduate visa subclass 485 is for overseas students who have completed studies in Australia. This temporary graduate visa 485 can let you live in Australia for about 18 months to four years, depending on your circumstances.

While staying in Australia under this visa, you can have full rights to work there. There are currently three streams under the temporary graduate visa subclass 485: graduate workstream, post-study workstream, and a second post-study workstream.

Graduate Visa 485 – Common FAQs

Q1. What are the Different Types of Streams in Visa 485?

There are three streams under the temporary graduate work visa: the graduate stream, the post-study stream, and a second post-study stream. All of these are suited to various types of students. The graduate stream is for students with a cert III, Diploma or higher qualification in relevant fields.

• This stream has an advantage over skilled temporary working visas like temporary skill shortage visa subclass 482; no nomination is required from the employer.
• The post-study work stream is created for overseas students who have graduated from an Australian university. Under this steam, you can live in Australia for two to four years, depending on your degree.
• Contrary to the graduate work stream, you do not have to work in any relevant field. If you have a bachelor’s degree or any other higher degree from an Australian institute, this stream will benefit you a lot. This is because the cost and processing time of the visa are the same despite having more benefits than the other stream.
• The second post-study work stream visa is a new stream you can apply for if you already have a post-study work visa.

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Q2. What are the Working Rights on Graduate Visa 485?

• You can work full-time for the entire duration of the visa.
• If you want to continue working in Australia after the visa expires, you can apply for another subclass visa to extend your stay.

Q3. What is the Disparity in Graduate Work Stream & Post-Study Work Stream?

For the graduate workstream, you need to nominate an occupation under the skilled occupation list, and you have to receive a positive skills assessment for the relevant occupation. You can have any degree until meets the skilled assessment criteria.

A skills assessment is not compulsory for the post-study workstream, but your degree needs to be a Bachelor’s level or higher.

Q4. How Do I Become Eligible for the Graduate Work Stream?

You have to meet the Australian study requirements six months before applying for the visa. You will meet the 485 graduate work stream visa eligibility if you have a diploma degree, trade qualification or:

• If your course is registered under CRICOS
• If you have completed all requirements of the course
• If your course was in the English language
• If you completed the course under two academic years of study
• If you resided in Australia for at least 16 months to complete your course
• If you possess an Australian study visa.

To meet the two-year academic course condition, you could combine courses in some situations. When you apply for the 485 visas, the courses should have resulted in you obtaining a diploma, trade qualification or any other degree.

Also Read: Lead To Progress Your Career In Australia With Temporary Graduate Visa 485

Q5. How Do I Become Eligible for the Post-Study Work Stream?

To be qualified for the post-study subclass 485 eligibility, you should have applied or had your first student visa granted before 5 November 2011. If you have a student visa granted after 5 November 2011, you cannot apply for the post-study workstream.

This could include situations where you studied and returned to your home country by having a visa that allows you to study non-award courses or English courses. It could also be if you held the student visa as a dependent.

If you had applied for a student visa before November 2011 but received it after the date, you will not be eligible to apply for the post-study workstream 485 visas.

Q6. Is a Skills Assessment Required for This Visa?

Yes, you need to provide a skills assessment for this visa, and it is your responsibility to arrange for the skills assessment. You need to contact specific assessing authorities before applying for the 485 visas.

The assessing authority has its evaluating procedures, fees and timeframes. The contact details for the assessing authorities are listed on the department’s website. Some conditions for the skills assessment are as follows:

• You have to apply to a relevant assessing authority to receive a proper skills assessment before lodging the visa application.
• If you have chosen the role of a doctor in your nominated occupation, you need to provide evidence of your full medical registration as a skills assessment. You can find enhanced information on the migration of medical practitioners in the general skilled migration program.
• If you are nominated for a nurse’s job, you need to receive a skills assessment from the ANMAC, an abbreviation for Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council). Even if you have already registered to work as a nurse in an Australian state or territory, this will be needed.

Any skills assessment is valid until the expired date given on the assessment or for three years before the assessment date is issued.

Q7. What Requirements Do You Need to Have for Visa Subclass 485?

Some of the graduate visa 485 requirements are as follows:

• You need to nominate your occupation on the MLTSSL (Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List).
• Your visa application needs to have evidence that you have already applied for a skills assessment for a nominated skilled occupation by a specific assessing authority.
• It would help if you had your skills assessed by a relevant assessing authority suitable for your nominated skilled occupation in Australia.
• One of the very important 485 visa requirements is that you need to meet the Australian study standards in the last six months.
• Any degree, trade qualification, or diploma that meets the Australian study requirements needs to be related to your nominated occupation.

You have to nominate an occupation that falls under the MLTSSL; once you nominate an occupation, you cannot change it after applying for the visa.

Also Read: Meet the Graduate Visa 485 Requirements to Study in Australia!

Q8. How Much does 485 Visa Cost?

The subclass 485 visa Australia cost is around AUD1, 680 for both the Graduate Work Stream and Post-Study Work Stream, and for Second Post-Study Work Stream it is AUD660.

Q9. How Much Time does Subclass 485 Visa Take To Process?

The visa 485 processing times are a little different for every work stream. For the graduate work stream, 75% of the application is processed in under ten months, while 90% is processed in a year. The post-study work stream takes ten months to process 75% of the application and less than a year for 90% of the applications to be processed.

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Q10. How Long do Temporary Graduate Visa 485 Last?

The 485 visas granted under the graduate work stream are valid for about 18 months from the date it is granted. At the same time, graduate visa validity for the post-study work stream is from two to four years from the grant date. It also depends on your qualification.
Some of the valid periods for the 485 visa are:

• Two years: to complete a Bachelor degree, a Bachelor degree with honors or master
• Three years: Masters in research
• Four years: a Doctorate

End Note

If you desire to visit Australia to pursue further studies or work in an occupation, you need to apply for a 485 visa. A temporary graduate visa can help you work, study and live in Australia temporarily. If you have problems filling out visa application forms, you could contact Immigration Agent Adelaide.

They are one of Adelaide’s leading visa agent firms; where you can get the assistance of some of Adelaide’s most experienced migration agents. These professionals can help you fill in visa forms and keep you updated regarding visa changes.