485 VISA

What is a 485 visa:

The 485 visa, also known as the Graduate Work visa, is valid for 1 year and 6 months to 4 years, depending on the individual case. It is specifically designed for Australian graduates, allowing them to travel, work, or continue their education within Australia after completing their studies. The 485 visa has no restrictions on work or study, and graduates can work or study full-time with unlimited entries and exits. For students who have studied engineering, IT, or accounting, holding a 485 visa allows them to continue with their Professional Year studies, earning an additional 5 points for immigration purposes, and they may also be able to pass occupational assessments with lower requirements through the PY program. It can be said that the 485 visa is a welfare visa specifically designed for Australian graduates, and a person can only apply for it once in their lifetime as the main applicant.

There are two subclasses of the 485 visa: GW and PSW. 

General Requirements for the 485 Visa:

1. Age under 50 years

2. Hold an eligible visa type when applying for the 485 visa:

• Student visa

Within the past 6 months, held a student visa, and currently hold a Bridging A or B visa, or

• a substantive visa (Bridging visa is not a substantive visa)

Had a student visa cancelled, but within the past 28 days, the Tribunal has withdrawn the

• decision to cancel the visa made by the Department of Immigration;

3. Competent English language proficiency:

• Citizens of certain countries and holding valid passports: UK, USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland

Equivalent to an IELTS overall score of 6, with no score less than 5 in each of the four components

• (accepts PTE, OET, and other scores), obtained within the past 3 years;

Australian study requirement: At least two years of full-time study (only successfully completed courses

4. can be counted towards the requirement);

5. Must apply for the 485 visa within 6 months of course completion; Meet health requirements: If no medical examination has been undertaken in the past 12 months, then the

6. required medical examination must be completed as specified; Meet character requirements: Must have applied for an Australian Federal Police Check (AFP) at the time

7. of application, and the results must be valid for 12 months;

8. The applicant and any family members must not owe any debts to Australian government departments; Must have purchased the required health insurance at the time of application (overseas student insurance is not accepted).

Additional Information for 485-PSW:

• Applied for and obtained the first Australian student visa after November 5, 2011;

• No need for a skills assessment, and no specific field of study is required;

• Applicant must have obtained a Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degree;

     Bachelor's and Master's degree holders can obtain a 485 visa for up to 2 years, while Doctorate degree

• holders can obtain a 485 visa valid for up to 4 years.

485 Visa Requirements:

The Australian study requirement is that the course was registered with CRICOS for at least 92 weeks, and

• the student studied for no less than 16 months;

If a course has a registration time of two years, but was exempted through Recognition of Prior Learning

(RPL), then the requirement for two years of Australian study is met, regardless of whether the course that was exempted was completed in Australia or overseas;

The completion time of the course is based on the completion letter issued by the school, not the degree

certificate or graduation ceremony. The 485 visa application must be made within 6 months of graduation,

• and on the same day as the completion letter is issued, the 485 visa application cannot be submitted;

• English language test scores are valid for 3 years;

• The required health insurance must be purchased at the time of 485 visa application;

A valid AFP certificate must be held for 12 months or an AFP application must be submitted and a receipt number    obtained at the time of the 485 visa application;