Most of the international students in Australia fall in love with the country after they complete their course and want to extend their stay here. Well, if you are one of them, then you are the luckiest one to have tasted one of the world’s most advanced education systems. But, if you want to stay more, you will need another visa because your previous student visa will not be applicable anymore. And this is known as the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485.
Overview About Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485
Visa 485 is also known as a Graduate Visa and abbreviated as a TGV that will let you stay in Australia after your study ends. You can live here for a period of 18 months to four years and enjoy complete working rights. The three streams under this visa are Graduate Work Stream (GWS) Visa, Post-Study Work Stream Visa (PSWV), and Second-Post Work Stream Visa (SPSWV). As there are some stream-specific requirements, you should check all of them before applying for the visa. The specific eligibility requirements for Graduate Work Stream Visa are as follows.
- You should hold a degree or at least a diploma or a trade qualification issued to you by an authorized Australian institute. This educational qualification requirement is different for the two separate streams. So, you should be very careful about it.
- The course should have covered a minimum of 16 months and should have been 92-week long.
- You should possess a specific occupational skill available on the Medium- and Long-term Strategic Skills List or MTSSL.
- Skills Assessment is required.
To get this visa, you should have applied for and got your first student before 5 November 2011. So, you should check this information before applying. The specific eligibility criteria for the Post-Study Work Stream Visa are as follows.
- Holding a diploma or trade qualification will not be applicable here. Having a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, or a Doctorate is a must for PSWV.
- Here also, the course should have been 92-week long and covered a minimum of 16 months.
- No Skills Assessment is required for PSWV.
Unlike the subclass 485 visa Australia, you can apply for this visa if you have applied for and got your first student visa after 5 November 2011.
Apart from these stream-specific requirements, there are some general requirements, too. And one of those requirements is the health requirement. As per the Australian government, all international students should have the OSHC or the Overseas Student Health Cover throughout the entire period of study. But when applying to the Temporary Graduate Visa 485, you have to change the health insurance, too.
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You should convert it to the graduate health cover. You should show the agreement of the insurance as proof of health insurance. OSHC can be accepted at the time of application and in the middle of the process. But, when the time comes for the visa decision, you should show the Overseas Visitor Health Care.
If you have studied a degree or diploma course in a university located in an Australian regional area and stay there and then apply for a Post-Study Work Stream Visa, you will get some extra benefits. You can easily apply for an additional one to two years over your Subclass 485 Visa in Australia. This is a very recently introduced regulation and had come into effect only on 20 January 2021.
There are numerous benefits of a Temporary Graduate Visa that you can use in your later career. You will get the golden opportunity to develop your critical knowledge skills and the practical techniques you need to work in a workplace. On a few occasions, you can also unlock specific skilled migration or employer sponsorship objectives. If you hold Visa 485, any approved Australian employer can employ you in a post, and it will require no arrangements for the employer sponsorship.
Once you finish the course and get the final results, you should apply within six months from the result publishing date. Most students commit one mistake because they think the course completion date refers to the Graduation Day. Well, it is not. Even if your student visa expires, you should not take much time and apply within 6 months. You should also be physically present in Australia and apply.
There are some concessions available for specific categories of students due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But, all the relaxations are temporary because when the pandemic ends, they will end too.
Know The 485 Visa English Requirements
Another crucial eligibility requirement is English language proficiency. Suppose you are from a native English-speaking country like the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Canada, or New Zealand. In that case, you will not be required to prove your ability in this language. Your passport will do. But, if you are not, you have to provide evidence that you have received high marks in any of the internationally accepted English language tests. The 485 Visa English requirements for each of the tests are as follows.
- IELTS (International English Language Test System): You must score at least an overall 6 band score with a minimum of 5 in each component – Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
- OET (Occupational English Test): Your minimum overall band score should be B with the same in each of the four components.
- TOEFL iBT (Test Of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test): Here, you have to score a total of 64 with a minimum of 4 in each of Listening and Reading, while 14 in each of Speaking and Writing.
- PTE (Pearson Test of English): Your minimum score should be 50 with 36 in each of the four components.
- CAE (Cambridge English Advanced): You have to score at least 169 with 154 in each of the four components.
Here Are Some FAQs About Temporary Graduate Visa 485
Immigration Agent Perth has been servicing its clients for years. Its registered immigration agents Perth face these common questions pretty frequently.
1- What Is The Difference Between Graduate Work Stream And Post-Study Work Stream?
Answer: You can apply and get the Graduate Work Stream Visa with only a diploma, but for Post-Study Work Stream, you should have a degree. Also, the former one will allow you to live for 18 months while the latter one will let you stay for 4 years.
2- Is It Compulsory To Get The Skills Assessment For The Graduate Work Stream?
Answer: Yes, it is mandatory to get a positive result in the Skills Assessment.
3- If I’m Not Satisfying The IELTS Exam Criteria, What Can I Do?
Answer: You can go for other tests like TOEFL iBT, OET, PTE, or CAE.
4- Can I Appeal If My Visa Gets Refused?
Answer: If the Department rejects your application for the 485 subclass visa, they will certainly inform the reasons along with the decision. And whether the decision can be reviewed will also be mentioned in the letter. If they allow, you should appeal within the mentioned timeframe.
5- How Long Is The Visa Processing Time?
Answer: In general, the 485 visa Processing Time is 9 to 10 months, while that for Post-Study Work Stream is 9 months.
6- How Much Does The Graduate Visa Application Cost?
Answer: The visa application charge is around AUD 1680 for the primary applicant. If you include your family members, you have to give additional charges. For an application aged 18 or more, the charge will be AUD 840, and for someone aged under 18, the fee will be AUD 425.
7- Should I Get A Bridging Visa If I Apply Inside Australia?
Answer: Yes, you will get the Bridging Visa A that will allow you to stay until the decision is made. You can also work with this visa.
For any help, you contact Immigration Agent Perth, who can assign you with a registered Migration Agent from Perth, WA, for guidance.
