485 Graduate Visa 2026: Age, Streams & Length

What is the 485 visa?

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets international students stay in Australia after finishing their studies to live, work and study. There is no employer sponsor and you can work for anyone, but you must find your own job.

For many graduates it is the bridge between a Student visa and a permanent option: time to gain Australian work experience, improve your English score and build points. This guide covers the rules as published by Home Affairs on 30 September 2026. If you want a quick yes-or-no first, try our 485 eligibility checker.

The streams at a glance

Home Affairs also has a Replacement stream page, but it only covers people already granted that visa or who applied on or before 30 June 2024. New graduates use the streams above.

Age limits

The standard rule is simple: you must be 35 or under when you apply. There are two exceptions where you can be under 50:

• In the Post-Higher Education Work stream, if you use a Masters (research) or Doctoral degree (PhD) to meet the study requirement.
• In any stream, if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas (BNO) passport.

Who can apply

For the two main streams, when you apply you must:

• Be in Australia.
• Have held a Student visa in the last 6 months, and currently hold an eligible Student visa, a Bridging visa A or B from a valid application, or another substantive visa.
• Have completed your course within the 6 months before you apply.
• Meet the Australian study requirement with a course registered on CRICOS (the official register of courses open to international students).
• Show adequate health insurance for everyone on the application.
• Show you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check for each applicant aged 16 or over.
• Provide English evidence (see below).

If you have already held a 485 or 476 visa as the main applicant, you cannot be granted another 485 as the main applicant, except through the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream.

Extra rules for Post-Higher Education Work

Your qualification must be a bachelor, bachelor honours, masters (coursework, extended or research) or doctoral degree. A graduate diploma counts only if you completed it in the same or next academic year as one of those degrees and it is related to it.

Extra rules for Post-Vocational Education Work

• Nominate an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). You cannot change it after you lodge.
• Hold an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation.
• Include a skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority, or evidence you have applied for one. Skills assessments are valid for up to 3 years.

Our skilled occupation list guide explains how the lists fit together.

English requirement

You meet the requirement if you hold a passport from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland. Otherwise you need a test taken in the 12 months immediately before you apply. For both main streams, the published minimum for IELTS (Academic or General Training) is:

• 6.5 overall, and
• at least 5.5 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

For PTE Academic (tests taken on or after 7 August 2025) the published minimum is 55 overall, with 40 listening, 42 reading, 41 writing and 39 speaking.

Other accepted tests (such as TOEFL iBT, OET, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET) have their own equivalent scores on the stream pages, and the Cambridge C1 Advanced is not accepted for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Hong Kong and BNO passport holders have a separate, lower score table. IELTS One Skill Retake and MET Single Section Retake results are accepted if completed before you lodge.

For how the test levels compare across providers, see PTE vs IELTS for Australian visas.

How long you can stay

Post-Higher Education Work (most nationalities)

The Indian column comes from the Australia–India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). A graduate diploma defaults to 2 years, but may be longer where your earlier study would have attracted a longer stay.

Other streams and passports

• Post-Vocational Education Work: up to 18 months.
• Hong Kong and BNO passport holders: up to 5 years in either main stream. Home Affairs notes that current and future Hong Kong 485 holders may have a pathway to permanent residence after 5 years.

The visa starts on the grant date, and time spent outside Australia does not extend it.

Second Post-Higher Education Work

This stream gives graduates who studied and stayed in regional Australia extra time. You must:

• Be 35 or under (with the same exceptions) and be in Australia.
• Hold your first 485 in the Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Study Work or Replacement stream.
• Have earned the degree behind your first 485 at an institution in an eligible designated regional area.
• Have lived in an eligible regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying.

How long you get depends on where you studied and lived. Living in a Category 2 area ("cities and major regional centres") generally gives 1 extra year, except in Tasmania where it can be 2. Living in a Category 3 area ("regional centres and other regional areas") gives 2 extra years. If you moved between categories, you are generally considered for the shorter stay. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are Category 1 and do not count.

Costs

The 485 is exempt from the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. Budget separately for health checks, police certificates, biometrics, the English test and, for the vocational stream, the skills assessment.

How to apply

1. Check your dates. Note your course completion date (the 6-month clock), your last Student visa date and your age on the planned lodgement day.
2. Sit an accepted English test at a test centre. At-home online tests are not accepted.
3. Apply for an AFP check for each applicant aged 16 or over, and keep the submission confirmation.
4. Arrange health insurance for everyone on the application.
5. Vocational stream only: apply for your skills assessment.
6. Lodge in ImmiAccount and pay the charge. You will usually get a bridging visa that keeps you lawful while you wait. Do not cancel your current visa.

Processing times vary. Check the Home Affairs processing time guide rather than relying on forum reports.

Common mistakes

• Missing the 6-month window. The course must be completed within 6 months before you apply, and you must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months.
• Using an old English test. For the 485 the test must be within 12 months before lodging, much stricter than the 3 years allowed for many other visas.
• Leaving Australia to apply. The main applicant must be in Australia.
• Assuming the Indian lengths apply to everyone. The longer stays depend on your nationality.
• Nominating the wrong occupation in the vocational stream. It cannot be changed after lodgement.
• Treating the 485 as PR. Plan the next step early: see student visa to PR, the points test guide, or sponsorship through the Skills in Demand 482 visa.

Frequently asked questions

What is the age limit for the 485 visa in 2026?

You must be 35 or under when you apply. You can be under 50 if you use a Masters (research) or PhD to meet the study requirement in the Post-Higher Education Work stream, or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport.

What IELTS score do I need for the 485 visa?

IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, from a test taken in the 12 months before you apply. Other accepted tests have their own equivalent scores, and Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders have separate scores.

How long is the 485 visa for a Masters degree?

For most nationalities, 2 years for a coursework or extended Masters and 3 years for a research Masters. Indian nationals get 3 years for any Masters under the Australia-India trade agreement, and Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay up to 5 years.

Can I apply for the 485 visa from outside Australia?

No. The main applicant must be in Australia when applying and must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months. Family members joining later can apply from inside or outside Australia.

Can I get a second 485 visa?

Only through the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, which requires regional study and at least 2 years living in an eligible regional area. Otherwise, if you have already held a 485 or 476 visa as the main applicant, you cannot be granted another 485 as the main applicant.

Sources

• Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) – Home Affairs
• Post-Higher Education Work stream – Home Affairs
• Post-Vocational Education Work stream – Home Affairs
• Second Post-Higher Education Work stream – Home Affairs
• Current visa pricing – Home Affairs
• English language visa requirements – Home Affairs

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