The Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa is Australia’s post-study work visa — it lets recent international graduates stay on and work full-time after finishing their course, without needing a job offer first. It’s the single biggest reason Australia remains competitive against Canada and the UK for international students, but the rules on who qualifies, for how long, and at what cost changed materially heading into 2026.
The two main streams
Most first-time applicants fall into one of two streams:
- Post-Higher Education Work stream — for graduates of a bachelor’s degree, graduate diploma/certificate, or master’s/doctoral degree from an Australian institution.
- Post-Vocational Education Work stream — for graduates of an eligible vocational qualification linked to an occupation on the relevant skills list, generally for trade and technical qualifications rather than any VET course.
(A Second Post-Higher Education Work stream also exists for a narrower group of earlier graduates who missed out under prior rules — check current eligibility if you graduated some years ago and never applied.)
How long you get to stay
Visa length depends on your qualification level, not your stream alone:
- Bachelor’s degree or coursework master’s — around 2 years
- Master’s by research — around 3 years
- Doctorate (PhD) — around 4 years
- Graduate Work stream–eligible qualifications (older/narrower category, mostly vocational) — typically 18 months
Longer stays for higher qualification levels are a deliberate policy lever to reward research-intensive study — if you’re choosing between a coursework and research master’s and value post-study work time, the research pathway currently buys you an extra year.
Eligibility essentials
- Apply within 6 months of your course completion date — this deadline is strict.
- Hold a substantive visa (usually your student visa) or a bridging visa at the time you apply, and have held a student visa within the last 6 months.
- Meet the competent English requirement (commonly IELTS 6.0 overall, no band below 5.5, or an accepted equivalent).
- Hold adequate health insurance for the duration of the visa (Overseas Student Health Cover typically needs to be extended or replaced).
- Meet standard health and character requirements, and have studied a CRICOS-registered course for at least 2 academic years (92 weeks) in Australia.
Fees for 2026
From July 2026, the Department of Home Affairs raised the Temporary Graduate visa application fee from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750 for the main applicant — a significant jump that applicants budgeting from older blog posts or agent quotes should double-check against the current Department of Home Affairs fee schedule before applying. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream carries a separate, lower fee (around AUD 2,265) reflecting its narrower eligibility. Additional family members included on the application pay their own fees on top.
Processing time
Typical processing sits at 4–8 weeks for most applications, with Home Affairs reporting a median of around 35 days for half of all applications and 90% finalised within 8 months. Applying as early as possible in your eligibility window — and ensuring your English test results and health checks are already valid — is the most reliable way to avoid sitting in the slower tail of that range.
What you can do on a 485 visa
Unlike a student visa, the 485 visa carries no work-hour cap — you can work full-time in any job, in any location, while the visa is valid. Many holders use this period to gain the 1–3 years of “skilled employment” experience that several permanent skilled migration pathways (like the Subclass 189 or 190) require, or to secure employer sponsorship for a longer-term visa before the 485 expires.
Frequently asked questions
Can I include my partner or children? Yes — eligible family members can be included on the same application and generally have the same work rights.
Does regional study extend my visa? Graduates from an eligible regional campus can access additional stay periods under regional incentive settings — check current settings for your specific campus location, as regional boundaries and bonus periods are reviewed periodically.
What happens when the 485 expires? It’s a one-time, non-renewable visa in almost all cases — you need to transition to another visa (skilled migration, employer sponsorship, or another eligible category) before it runs out, so start planning your next step well before the expiry date.
This is general preparation guidance, not migration advice — confirm current fees, streams, and your specific eligibility on the Department of Home Affairs Temporary Graduate 485 visa page before applying, or with a registered migration agent. If you’re finishing an Australian degree and mapping your post-study options, join the VisaMet waitlist — our AI assistant can help you check eligibility and prepare documents for your next visa step.
Sources: