Australia Student Visa to 485 Temporary Graduate Visa

The Temporary Graduate visa is for people who have recently graduated from an Australian institution. The central test is the Australian study requirement: your qualification must come from a CRICOS-registered course, taught in English, and completed over a minimum period of study in Australia. Courses completed largely online, or compressed below the minimum duration, can fail this test even when the degree itself is perfectly genuine.

You must also apply within a set window after your course completion date, hold an eligible visa at the time, and generally be in Australia when you apply. Missing the application window is one of the most common and least recoverable errors on this route.

There is a maximum age at the time of application, and that limit was tightened in recent policy changes, with narrow exemptions for certain applicants. Because the cut-off has moved, check the current figure against your own date of birth rather than relying on older guidance, or on what a classmate was told a year earlier.

You will also need English at the required level with a test taken within the accepted validity period, adequate health insurance for your stay, and police and health checks.

The 485 is temporary and cannot be extended indefinitely. Most graduates use the time to gain skilled work experience and then move to employer sponsorship such as the Skills in Demand visa, or to a points-tested skilled visa. Both usually require a skills assessment in your occupation, which can take months, so it is worth starting that assessment during the 485 rather than at the end of it.

A job offer or offer letter does not extend your visa by itself. You still need a genuine employer, a real role and a successful application through the official government process.

We check your profile against the route, explain what the official rules require, and help you prepare a complete, accurate application. We also introduce suitable candidates to employers registered in the destination country that are recruiting for genuine roles.

The employer interviews you and decides whether to hire you, and the government decides your visa. Where the destination country requires immigration advice to come from a registered or authorised professional, that advice is given by our partner lawyers.