It is big news for international students when they finally get a degree in Australia. The beautiful nation of Australia offers a wide range of courses and scholarship opportunities with a safe and sophisticated environment. There are many reasons to love Australia, ‘the land of Kangaroos’.

While a student sits and contemplates the expiration of their student visa, they secretly wish to receive an opportunity to extend their stay in Australia. If they want to fulfill their wish, they can apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa 485. This visa will allow one to live and work in Australia for an extended period.

Why Does One Need A Temporary Graduate Visa 485?

The Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485 is specially designed for the current international graduates who have finished at least two years of study from an Australian education institution. One can make the most of this opportunity if they are an international student and wish to extend their stay in Australia. But one needs to be aware of the eligibility criteria process while applying for a subclass 485 visa australia.

But the applicants are allowed to hold only one temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485 as a primary applicant. The 485 visa are divided into two streams:

1. Graduate work-stream
2. Post-work stream

Graduate Work-stream

Visas under the graduate work-stream are valid for 18 months and applicable for those international students who have fulfilled the following criteria:

• Finished two years of study in Australia
• Has a relevant skill assessment in a certain occupation
• The occupation needs to be listed on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skill List (MLTSSL)

Post-Study Workstream

The visas under this particular workstream are valid for four years and are applicable for students who fulfill the following criteria:

• They hold an Australian student visa after 5th November 2011
• They hold a Bachelor’s, Master or a Doctorate Degree from an Australian education provider, no matter the field of study.

Benefits Of Temporary Graduate Visa 485

Some of the benefits of the 485 subclass visa are as follows-

• One can include eligible family members in the Graduate Visa 485 application.
• The visa provides the applicant and their family members the right to live, study, and work and the freedom to travel in and out of Australia until the visa expires.

Eligibility Criteria

Some of the most important requirements to be eligible for the Temporary Graduate Visa 485 are:

• One needs to be less than 50 years of age
• One must be inside Australia while lodging the Graduate Visa 485 application
• They need to meet the Australian study requirements
• They need to have applied for the visa within six months of getting results
• An individual needs to meet specific requirements of every stream, whether it’s graduate or postgraduate
• One needs to be competent in English
• One must apply for this visa once in a lifetime.

Study Requirements To Be Met Before Applying For The 485 Subclass Visa

An individual can only meet the Australian study requirements if their course is:

• Conducted in English
• Includes a duration period of a minimum of 92 weeks or at least 16 calendar months
• Undertaken on a sound student visa in Australia
• Not linked with English language proficiency or enabling programs.

Health And Character Requirements

Some of the health and character requirements that fall under the subclass 485 visa australia are-

• The applicant and the family members in the application need to undergo medical examinations to fulfill health requirements.
• To meet the character requirements, the applicant must confirm having applied for an Australian National Police Check before one lodge for a visa.

Health Insurance Requirements For The Graduate Visa 485

The subclass 485 visa australia also requires individual health insurance for the applicant, such as:

• The health insurer has to be either an Australian or from the home country.
• One needs to have an appropriate level of health insurance to cover health costs of themselves and their family members until they stay in Australia.
• If an applicant is lodging for a 485 subclass visa in Australia, they need to have active health insurance before filling out the application.

If the applicant is still on a student visa, OSHC or Overseas Student Health Cover can be accepted while applying for the 485 subclass visa. However, if they no longer hold the student visa or are granted a bridging visa, the OSHC will be unacceptable.

Health Insurance Requirements For The Visa

The applicant need not have any outstanding debts to the Australian government when the 485 subclass visa is granted.

Eligible Family Members Who Can Be Included In The Visa Application

The applicant can include the following family members in their visa application:

• The spouse
• The child of the applicant or their partner.

Recent Updates To The Visa

The 485 visa requirements for the post-study 485 work visa (temporary Graduate visa subclass 485) can be relaxed if the applicant is enrolled with an Australian education provider and has been affected by the current pandemic. The requirements could also be relaxed due to travel restrictions occurring due to the pandemic.

The requirements can be relaxed under the following 485 visa requirements:

• One can count this relaxation towards the Australian study requirements if they are an existing or current student visa holder undertaking online study outside of Australia due to COVID-19.
• The eligible graduates affected by travel restrictions can also apply for the visa and be granted the same visa outside of Australia.
• More time can be provided to applicants to produce English language results if they cannot take a test in their home country due to the pandemic. Additional time can be offered to provide health checks and biometric collection if COVID 19 affects access to these services.

Other Changes In The 485 subclass visa

There have been some recent changes announced in the visa 485, and one can take the help of a visa agent in Perth to understand these changes. In late November, the Australian government announced that all Master’s degree courses by Coursework graduates could have access to a 3-year Graduate Visa Australia, despite where they completed the course. The rule is coming to effect from 1st December, so anyone being granted the Graduate Visa Australia from that date, completing a Master’s degree coursework, can provide them with a 3-year visa.

The government expects that this rule will protect the post-study work rights of international students and make the process of studying in Australia attractive again. Another huge change that was announced was with the graduate work stream. It is said that the applicants do not have to nominate an occupation in demand on the MLTSSL.

They do not even have to complete any 2-year Diploma or trade certificate in any occupation in a VET college; this will result in a 2-year Graduate 485 visa for all the applicants. The process will start with applications made from 1st July 2022. This can ensure the enhanced return of international students as per the Minister for Education and Youth. Additionally, changes to visa settings can provide much-needed flexibility for international students when they return to Australia.

There will also be concessions to 485 visa holders who are stuck outside Australia due to closed borders due to COVID-19. They can apply for a replacement visa, allowing 485 visa holders with expired visas after February 2020 to apply for a new one again.

Final Words

Australia is a beautiful country, and students who have studied here might want to extend their stay in Australia. One needs to apply for a visa 485; this visa will allow one to live and work in Australia for an extended period. Applicants can take the help of a migration consultant in Perth if they are unsure how to fill out application forms.

Some changes have been made in the visa 485, and applicants need to know about the changes before applying for the visa. Many Visa consultants in Perth can help an applicant fill out application forms, and they can provide information regarding the changes made to the visa.