The Temporary Graduate Work Visa (Subclass 485) is meant for international students who have completed at least 2 years of study in a higher education Australian institute. There are 2 streams for this visa: Post-Study Work Visa and the Graduate Entry Stream. It’s valid for 18-24 months and gives the visa holder unrestricted work and travel rights in Australia. To find out more about this visa, click here. 

The 485 Visa is often seen as a “pathway visa” towards acquiring permanent residency (PR) in Australia. Hence, the application itself can be quite complex. 

There are certain steps 485 Visa applicants can take to not only avoid a visa rejection but also fast-track the processing time of their application. 

Keeping Documents Ready

Even before commencing the application, make a note of the mandatory documents for the visa and keep them ready in a folder. This will help applicants avoid last-minute confusion or mishaps when the time for document submission arrives. 

Most documents such as a valid passport, and visa grant letter are easy to procure. However,  certain documents have either time or access restrictions. They are listed below for the applicant’s reference. 

Caveat Documents

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• Education Documents:‍
• Letter of Completion‍
• ‍Finals Certificate
• Finals Transcripts

More often than not, universities do not produce these on time before the student’s visa is about to expire. Hence it is imperative that applicants email their university about this requirement right after their results are out.

• Medical Check 

The applicant’s health check will typically be provided after they submit their 485 Visa application. Kindly note there’s a separate application for procuring a Health Assessment Program (HAP) ID.

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• Police Check 

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) clearance is also a separate application. Applicants typically should submit this application before lodging their visa application. If they don’t receive the actual certificate in time, they can utilize the clearance receipt number at the time of visa application lodgment. Thereafter, once they receive the AFP clearance certificate, they can upload it on the portal or ask your agent to do so.

English Proficiency Exam Results 

English proficiency exams such as IELTS and PTE are mandatory requirements for each visa category application. But the process may be slightly cumbersome. There is usually a long waiting period to get a test date (2-5 weeks). Thereafter, it may take up to 1-2 weeks for an applicant to get receive their results. In case they don’t get the required score, they will have to retake the exam and go through the whole process again. Hence, it is vital that applicants book their English proficiency exam as soon as they finish their studies.

If applicants have completed their English proficiency exam and are awaiting the result while submitting their 485 Visa application, they may use the receipt number of their exam temporarily and upload the result once they obtain it.

To know more about English proficiency exams, click here. 

Health Insurance

In Australia, applicants are required to have adequate health insurance at all times. During their Student Visa validity period, they typically are on an OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) whereas once they apply for a 485 Work Visa, they will need to transition to an OVHC (Overseas Visitor Health Cover). It is important to keep track of the validity of the health insurance coverage before lodging the visa application. 

Duration of Stay in Australia

Applicants should ensure that the total duration of their stay in Australia is at least 16 months. This time must come under the commencement date and completion date of their university course – applicants are encouraged to check their university offer letters to know the exact date. 

Choosing the Right Stream

As mentioned above, the 485 Visa has 2 streams - the Post-Study Work Visa (PSWV) and the Graduate Entry Stream (GES). If applicants chose the wrong stream, they may risk their chances of getting a PR through the correct pathway. The main difference between both streams is that the GES is for students whose occupations are on the Skilled List (and thereby require a valid positive skills assessment). The PSWV is for students who have completed courses that do not lead to any skilled occupation (thereby do not require a skills assessment).

Other differences include but are not limited to:

• Validity

• A PSWV is valid for 2-4 years depending on the applicant’s completed qualification whereas a GES  is valid only for 18 months.

• Pathway to PR

• In most cases, students on a GES have a designated pathway to PR whereas PSWV applicants have no apparent pathway.

• Skills Assessment

• As mentioned above, a skills assessment is required for a GES, resulting in an extra thing to carry out for GES applicants.

• Educational Qualification

• Applicants will only be eligible for a PSWV if they have completed a higher education course – such as a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD. However, they may still be eligible for a GES if they have completed a vocational training course such as a Certificate IV, Diploma etc. Provided that they can acquire a positive skills assessment.

Skills Assessment

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This specifically applies to applicants for a GES. 

Applicants must nominate the correct occupation based on the course they have completed. This is important because once nominated, they cannot change their occupation. Even if they get a rejection from the skills assessment body, they may re-apply but still cannot change their occupation.

At the time of their visa decision, applicants must have a positive skills assessment. Otherwise, their visa application can be rejected – in which case they will need to appeal to the AAT for the grant of some more time till they receive a positive outcome for their skills assessment.

In case of rejection

In case an applicant’s 485 Visa application gets rejected and they are still onshore (in Australia), they may have to leave the country.

As a 485 Visa is to be applied upon the completion of an applicant’s higher education course, chances are that by the time they receive an outcome (in this case, rejection), their Student Visa would have expired and they are most probably on a bridging visa. The law states that in case an applicant receives a rejection for a substantial visa while they are on a bridging visa, they cannot apply or re-apply for a substantial visa while they are onshore.

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Disclaimer: Kindly note that the information provided here does not constitute legal advice. This must solely be regarded as content that provides general immigration information and is not a substitute for professional legal advice that occurs between an immigration lawyer and a client. 

Path Migration strongly recommends readers to contact certified immigration lawyers for a holistic overview of the Australia immigration system and a detailed analysis of each case.