There are three streams for the Temporary Graduate visa:

• Post-vocational education work-stream which is valid for 18 months, Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay for 5 years.
• Post-Higher Education work stream which is valid for either two or four years, depending on the qualification completed. Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay for 5 years.
• Second Post – Higher Education Work Stream is for Temporary graduates with a Post-Study Work, Post-Higher Education Work, or Replacement visa, and who holds a degree from an Australian Regional Institution may be eligible for an additional 1-2 years of visa validity

There are no restrictions on work or study. With a subclass 485 visa you’ll be able to:

• Work with no restrictions
• Complete a professional year to be able to score additional points in a skilled application.
• Study to improve your English skills
• Travel in or out of Australia.

General requirements for the two streams:

• You must be younger than 35 years of age at the time you apply for this visa, exceptions apply.
• You must hold an eligible visa at the time you apply for this visa, e.g. student visa
• You must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months
• You must have met the two-year Australian study requirement in the past six months; this is two academic years with at least a total of 92 weeks being the duration of one or more courses
• You must provide evidence that you have at least competent English, which is an IELTS (or equivalent) test result overall at least 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each band.
• You must have acceptable health insurance in Australia and meet Australian health and character requirements.

Specific Requirement requirements for the two streams:

Post-Vocational Education Work Stream

• • Only valid for 18 months,
  • You must be aged 35 years or under when you apply. You can be under 50 years of age when you apply if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport
  • Each degree, diploma or trade qualification used to meet the Australian study requirement is closely related to your nominated skilled occupation.
  • Your nominated occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL) and your skills have been assessed (or lodged for assessment) by a relevant assessing authority as suitable for your nominated skilled occupation (‘suitable skills assessment’).
  • You may include family unit members in your application at the time of lodgment, provided they are in Australia.

Post-Higher Education Work Stream

• A 2 year visa can be granted for a Bachelor or Master’s coursework degree.
• A 3 year visa can be granted for a research Master or PhD degree.
• Indian nationals who complete a PhD can be granted up to 4 years;
• Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders can be granted  up to 5 years.
• Must be 35 years of age or under when apply.
• Age can be under 50 years if you complete a Masters(research) or Doctoral Degree(PhD) degree or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport.
• Your first student visa to Australia was lodged on or after 5 November 2011.
• You must have completed one or more of the following qualifications in Australia :

Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream

• This is for the visa holder who are holding a post-higher Education work, Post Study work or replacement visa.
• A extra 1 or 2 years visa can be granted if you studied and graduated from the Designated regional areas.
• The current and future temporary graduate visa holder from Hong Kong may have a pathway to permanent residence after 5 years.
• You may include family unit members in your application at the time of lodgment, provided they are in Australia.

Temporary Graduate visa – gateway to other visas in Australia

A 485 visa holder may be able to apply for further stay in Australia, such as via Employer Sponsorship or Skilled Migration.

 Please call (02) 94116000 or email info@australiamigrate.com our team of experienced migration agents for immediate and accurate advice.