Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa: Streams, Eligibility and What Changed

The 485 exists for one purpose: to let someone who has just finished an Australian qualification stay on and work while they build the profile a permanent visa requires. It is a temporary visa, granted for a period that depends on your stream and qualification level, and it does not itself lead to permanent residence.

It matters enormously to engineers, though, because Australian skilled employment is worth up to 20 points in the points test — the same maximum as overseas employment reaches at eight years. A graduate who converts two or three Australian years into points, and who picks up local codes and standards along the way, is in a materially different position from one applying offshore.

These streams were renamed in 2024 — the Post-Higher Education Work stream replaced what was called the Post-Study Work stream, and the Post-Vocational Education Work stream replaced the Graduate Work stream. Older guides and forum posts still use the previous names, so check which stream a piece of advice is actually about.

Engineering graduates from a bachelor or masters programme fall in the first stream, and do not need a skills assessment for the 485 itself. You will still need one later for a points-tested visa — see the Engineers Australia skills assessment.

• Australian study requirement. Broadly, at least two academic years of eligible study at an Australian institution, completed in English, in a course registered on CRICOS.
• Recency. Your qualification must have been completed within the period allowed before you apply — this window is short, and missing it is the most common way applicants become ineligible.
• Age. There is an upper age limit, which was lowered in 2024, with exemptions for certain passport holders and for research-based higher degrees.
• English. A recognised test result at the required level. PTE, IELTS, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge are accepted; the required score depends on the stream.
• Health insurance. Adequate health cover for the period of stay.
• Held an eligible visa. You must hold, or have recently held, an eligible student visa.

The 485 rules changed substantially through 2024 and 2025 — age limits, stream names, and the removal of the regional extension that previously granted a second and third 485. Verify every threshold on the Department of Home Affairs website before you apply. Nothing on this page is immigration advice.

Treat it as a countdown, not a holiday. In order of return on effort:

1. Get your skills assessment done early. Do not wait until the 485 is expiring — Engineers Australia processing plus any revision cycle can consume months, and a positive outcome is valid for three years, so starting early costs you nothing.
2. Take engineering work, even below your level. Points are awarded for skilled employment in your nominated occupation. A graduate engineer role in a consultancy is worth more to your application than a better-paid job outside engineering.
3. Sit for Superior English while you are still in study mode. Twenty points, and the cheapest lever on the whole points test. Model it in the points calculator.
4. Check state nomination lists in your first six months. Some states nominate graduates of their own institutions on preferential terms, and closing dates come round faster than expected.
5. Consider regional. A 491 adds 15 points, which is often the difference between an invitation and a two-year wait.

The 485 does not convert to permanent residence. The realistic next steps are:

Every one of those except the 482 requires a positive skills assessment in your nominated occupation. If you are an engineer, that means a CDR unless your Australian degree was Engineers Australia accredited — in which case you take the accredited qualification pathway and skip the CDR entirely.