Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate visa): the complete 2026 guide for international graduates
The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is the natural next step after a student visa. It lets you stay in Australia after you finish your course, work full time in any job, and buy yourself the time to move toward a longer-term visa. At the end of 2025 there were 225,751 people in Australia on a 485, up from 206,187 a year earlier. It is one of the fastest-growing temporary visas in the country, and for good reason: it is the bridge between graduating and everything that comes next.
It is also a visa that changed a lot recently. Age limits dropped, English requirements went up, the streams were renamed, and on 1 March 2026 the application fee roughly doubled. This guide covers how the 485 actually works in 2026: the three streams, who qualifies, what it costs, the documents you need, and where a NAATI certified translation becomes non-negotiable.
What the 485 visa lets you do
The 485 is a temporary visa for international students who have recently graduated from an Australian CRICOS-registered course. Once granted, it lets you:
- Live in Australia for between 18 months and 3 years, depending on your stream and qualification
- Work unrestricted hours in any sector, with no employer sponsorship and no occupation limits
- Study while you are here
- Travel in and out of Australia freely
- Include your partner and children in the application
The work rights are the real draw. Unlike most other work visas, the 485 gives you full work rights from day one with no strings attached. No sponsor, no nominated occupation you are locked into, no cap on hours. For most graduates it is the only window where you can work freely while you build the experience or points you need for a skilled or sponsored visa.
The three streams
Since the 2024 and 2025 changes, the 485 has three streams. The qualification you use to meet the study requirement decides which one you apply for, and you cannot switch streams once you have lodged. Choose carefully.
Post-Vocational Education Work stream
For graduates of an associate degree, diploma, or trade qualification. Your qualification must be closely related to an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), and this stream requires a positive skills assessment.
- Stay: up to 18 months
- Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders: up to 5 years
Post-Higher Education Work stream
For graduates with a degree-level qualification or higher (bachelor, masters, PhD). This is the most common stream and does not require a skills assessment.
- Stay: usually 2 to 3 years, depending on your qualification
- Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders: up to 5 years
Second Post-Higher Education Work stream
For graduates who already hold a Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Study Work, or Replacement stream visa, and who studied and lived in a regional area. This is the regional extension.
- Stay: between 1 and 2 years, depending on the regional location of your institution and where you live as a graduate
Streams at a glance
| Stream | Who it is for | Typical stay | Skills assessment? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Vocational Education Work | Associate degree, diploma, or trade qualification | Up to 18 months (5 years for HK and BNO) | Yes |
| Post-Higher Education Work | Bachelor, masters, or PhD | 2 to 3 years (5 years for HK and BNO) | No |
| Second Post-Higher Education Work | Regional graduates extending an existing 485 | 1 to 2 years | No |
Who is eligible
To apply for the 485 you must:
- Be aged 35 or under when you apply. This dropped from 50 in the 2024 changes. Masters by Research and PhD graduates are exempt and can still apply up to 50.
- Hold an eligible visa, and have held a Student visa (subclass 500) in the last 6 months
- Be in Australia when you apply
- Meet the Australian study requirement: at least 2 academic years (92 weeks) of study, completed in no less than 16 calendar months, in a CRICOS-registered course taught in English
- Apply within 6 months of your course completion date
- Have adequate health insurance for everyone in the application
- Meet health and character requirements
The 6-month window and the "held a Student visa in the last 6 months" rule trip people up constantly. Once your studies finish, the clock starts. Do not let the deadline pass while you sort out your English test or your police checks.
The English requirement
Since 23 March 2024, the bar is higher and the test results expire faster.
- General applicants need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four components, or the equivalent in PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, or Cambridge.
- Hong Kong and BNO passport holders have a lower threshold of IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.0 in each component.
- Your test must have been taken no more than 1 year before you lodge. This used to be 3 years.
Passport holders from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and the Republic of Ireland are exempt from providing an English test.
Because the validity window is now only 12 months, sit your test late enough that the result is still valid when you apply, but early enough that you are not scrambling before the 6-month deadline.
What it costs in 2026
This is the change that catches everyone out. On 1 March 2026, the visa application charge for the 485 roughly doubled.
- Main applicant, Post-Vocational Education Work and Post-Higher Education Work streams: around AUD 4,600, up from roughly AUD 2,300
- Main applicant, Second Post-Higher Education Work stream: around AUD 1,810
- Eligible citizens of Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste (including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and others) pay a reduced fee
- Additional charges apply for each family member you include
These are the base government charges only. They do not include your English test, health examinations, police certificates, health insurance, or any translation or migration agent costs. Always confirm the current charge on the Department of Home Affairs website before you lodge, since fees are indexed and change.
The document checklist
A complete application generally needs:
- Identity documents: passport biodata page, national ID, and a recent passport-style photo
- Qualification evidence: your degree or qualification certificate, academic transcripts, and a completion or graduation letter from your institution
- Australian study requirement evidence: proof you completed at least 2 academic years over a minimum of 16 months
- English test results, unless you are exempt
- Health insurance: adequate cover, such as Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC), for everyone in the application
- Health examinations: completed with an approved panel physician if required
- Police certificates: one from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years, plus an Australian Federal Police check
- Relationship and family documents, if you are including a partner or children: marriage certificate, evidence of a de facto relationship, and birth certificates for any children
Where you need a NAATI certified translation
Most of your study documents are already in English, because they were issued by an Australian institution. The translation need on a 485 almost always clusters around two things: character and family.
Police certificates. You need a police clearance from every country you lived in for 12 months or more in the past decade. If you spent time in a non-English-speaking country before or during your studies, that police certificate will be in the local language. The Department will not accept it as is. It needs a NAATI certified translation into English before you lodge.
Family documents. If you include a partner or children, you have to prove the relationship and their identities. Marriage certificates, birth certificates, and similar civil documents from a non-English-speaking country all need NAATI certified translation. A single-language marriage certificate or a child's birth certificate in another language is one of the most common reasons a 485 with family members stalls.
Identity documents. In some cases your own birth certificate or national ID may be requested, and if it is not in English it will need translating too.
The pattern to remember: any official document that is not in English and that you are relying on for your application must be translated by a NAATI certified translator. A standard translation, a notarised copy, or your own translation will not be accepted for an Australian visa.
| Document | Needs a NAATI translation? |
|---|---|
| Australian degree, transcript, completion letter | No, already in English |
| English test results | No |
| Australian Federal Police check | No |
| Overseas police certificate from a non-English-speaking country | Yes |
| Partner's marriage or relationship certificate, if not in English | Yes |
| Child's birth certificate, if not in English | Yes |
| Your own birth certificate or national ID, if requested and not in English | Yes |
EzyTranslate handles exactly these documents. NAATI certified translations of police certificates, birth certificates, and marriage certificates, delivered in 24 to 48 hours, accepted by the Department of Home Affairs. If you are including family or have lived overseas, get those translations underway early so they are ready when the rest of your application is.
The mistakes that cost graduates the most
- Missing the 6-month window. Once your course finishes you have 6 months to lodge. Sorting documents late is the number one reason people miss it.
- Choosing the wrong stream. You cannot change streams after lodging. If you are unsure whether your qualification puts you in the vocational or higher education stream, confirm before you apply, not after.
- An expired English test. The validity window is now 1 year, not 3. A result that was fine for an earlier plan may already be too old.
- Forgetting a country on your police checks. The rule is every country you lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. People forget a year spent studying or working abroad, and a missing certificate holds up the whole application.
- Submitting foreign-language documents without certified translation. Police certificates and family documents in another language must come with a NAATI certified translation. Lodging without one means a request for more information and weeks of delay.
What comes after the 485
The 485 does not lead directly to permanent residency, but it is the runway that gets you there. While you hold it, you build the work experience, skills assessment, or points you need for the next visa. Common pathways include:
- Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), the employer-sponsored visa that replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa on 7 December 2024. Eligible 485 holders with enough work experience can apply onshore.
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) and Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), the points-tested permanent options
- Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491), for those willing to live and work in a regional area
The graduates who do well treat the 485 not as a holiday extension but as a deadline-driven setup phase for the visa after it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the 485 from outside Australia? No. You must be in Australia when you lodge, and you must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months.
Is the 485 points-tested? No. Eligibility is based on your recent qualification and meeting the criteria, not a points score.
Can my partner work on a 485? Yes. Family members included in the application receive the same work rights.
Do I get a bridging visa while I wait? If your student visa is expiring while your 485 is being processed, you are generally granted a Bridging visa A that lets you keep working and studying until a decision is made.
Which documents need a NAATI certified translation? Any official document not in English that you rely on in your application. For most 485 applicants that means overseas police certificates and, if you include family, marriage and birth certificates from non-English-speaking countries.
