If you are finishing a degree in Australia and want to stay on and work, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is the visa you need, and the 485 visa requirements in 2026 are tighter and more expensive than most students expect. The base fee for a main applicant is now AUD 5,750, after two increases this year. You must be 35 or under (with limited exceptions), hold IELTS 6.5 or an equivalent score taken in the last 12 months, apply from inside Australia within six months of finishing your course, and show you meet the Australian study requirement.

This guide sets out every requirement, the current fees, how long you can stay (including the longer periods for Indian nationals), the mistakes that cost graduates their visa, and what to do if you are applying from an Indian or Malaysian background. Information is current as at 7 October 2026.

485 visa requirements 2026: key facts at a glance

• Base application fee (main applicant): AUD 5,750 from 1 July 2026 (it was AUD 2,300 until 28 February 2026, then AUD 4,600 from 1 March 2026).
• Age: 35 or under when you apply. Masters by research and doctoral graduates, and Hong Kong or British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders, can apply up to age 49.
• English: IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each band (or an accepted equivalent), from a test taken within 12 months before you apply.
• Where you must be: in Australia when you apply, having held a Student visa in the last six months.
• Study: a CRICOS-registered course (or courses) studied in Australia, totalling at least two academic years (92 weeks), completed in the six months before you apply.
• Checks: evidence you have applied for an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check, adequate health insurance, and health and character requirements.
• Stay: up to 18 months (Post-Vocational stream) or usually 2 to 3 years (Post-Higher Education stream). Indian nationals can get up to 4 years with a PhD.

The three 485 visa streams in 2026

Since 1 July 2024 the 485 has been organised around the type of qualification you hold, not around an occupation list for degree holders. The old Graduate Work and Post-Study Work names are gone, and the Replacement stream is closed to new applicants.

Post-Higher Education Work stream

This is the stream most university graduates use. You need a bachelor degree or higher (bachelor, honours, masters by coursework, masters by research or doctorate) from an Australian institution. You do not nominate an occupation and you do not need a skills assessment.

Post-Vocational Education Work stream

This stream is for graduates holding an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification. Unlike the higher education stream, your qualification must be closely related to an occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list, and you must provide a skills assessment for that occupation. Getting the skills assessment organised early is the single biggest timing issue for VET graduates, because assessing authorities can take weeks or months.

Second Post-Higher Education Work stream

This is a follow-on visa for people who already held a Post-Higher Education Work 485 and lived and studied in an eligible regional area. It gives a further 1 to 2 years depending on the regional location. It is narrow, and eligibility depends heavily on where you studied and lived, so check it with a professional before relying on it.

485 visa requirements 2026: full eligibility checklist

1. Age

You must be 35 years of age or under at the time you lodge. The cut-off is applied on the lodgement date, so a graduate who turns 36 a week before lodging has missed out. The exceptions are graduates with a masters by research or doctoral degree, and Hong Kong or BNO passport holders, who can apply while under 50.

2. Recent Student visa

You must have held a Student visa (subclass 500, or an older student subclass) at some point in the six months before you apply. If your student visa has expired and more than six months have passed, you will generally not qualify, even if you are still in Australia on another visa.

3. Australian study requirement

Your study must add up to at least two academic years (92 weeks of CRICOS-registered study) completed while physically in Australia, taught in English, at an institution registered to teach international students. You can combine more than one course, but the qualifications must be relevant to the stream you apply in, and you must have completed the course that you are relying on in the six months before lodging. The "completion" date is usually the date your provider confirms you have met all course requirements, not your graduation ceremony.

4. English language

For applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024, you need IELTS (Academic or General Training) 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, or an equivalent score in another accepted test. The test must have been taken within the 12 months before you apply. Home Affairs accepts several tests, including PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, LANGUAGECERT Academic, Michigan MET and CELPIP General. Score equivalences changed for tests taken from 7 August 2025, so check the current table on the Home Affairs English language page against the date of your own test.

Passport holders of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland are treated as meeting the requirement. Indian and Malaysian passport holders are not exempt, even if their degree was taught in English.

5. AFP check

You must give evidence that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check when you lodge. Apply for the AFP check before you start your ImmiAccount application, and use the purpose code for immigration. A missing AFP receipt is one of the most common reasons a 485 application is found invalid or delayed.

6. Health insurance, health and character

You need adequate health insurance for yourself and any family members from the time you apply. Many graduates simply switch from their Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) to an Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) policy. You will also need to meet the health requirement (a medical exam through Bupa Medical Visa Services may be requested) and the character requirement, which can include police certificates from countries where you lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

7. Be in Australia when you apply

The Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work streams must be lodged while you are in Australia. If you leave Australia after graduating, plan your return so you can lodge onshore within the six-month window.

485 visa fee 2026: what you will pay

The 485 visa application charge has been the biggest story for graduates this year. It doubled on 1 March 2026 and rose again on 1 July 2026. These are the base charges for the Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work streams:

Applicant	Until 28 Feb 2026	From 1 Mar 2026	From 1 Jul 2026 (current)
Main applicant	AUD 2,300	AUD 4,600	AUD 5,750
Additional applicant 18 or over	AUD 1,150	AUD 2,300	AUD 2,875
Additional applicant under 18	AUD 580	AUD 1,160	AUD 1,450

Lower charges apply to main applicants who hold a passport from certain Pacific Island countries or Timor-Leste. A card surcharge applies when you pay online. Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator on the day you lodge, because Home Affairs does not announce fee changes in advance.

The visa charge is only part of the budget. Allow for these as well:

• English test fee (if your previous result is more than 12 months old)
• AFP check fee
• Health examination, if requested
• Overseas Visitor Health Cover for the full stay
• Skills assessment fee (Post-Vocational stream only)
• Police certificates from your home country, if requested

You can model the total with the EazyViza visa cost calculator.

How long can you stay on a 485 visa?

Stream and qualification	Most passport holders (including Malaysia)	Indian nationals	Hong Kong / BNO
Post-Vocational Education Work (diploma, associate degree, trade)	Up to 18 months	Up to 18 months	Up to 5 years
Bachelor degree (including honours)	Up to 2 years	Up to 2 years	Up to 5 years
Bachelor with first class honours in STEM (including ICT)	Up to 2 years	Up to 3 years	Up to 5 years
Masters by coursework	Up to 2 years	Up to 3 years	Up to 5 years
Masters by research	Up to 3 years	Up to 3 years	Up to 5 years
Doctoral degree (PhD)	Up to 3 years	Up to 4 years	Up to 5 years

The longer periods for Indian nationals come from Australia's commitments under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). Your stay is set by your highest eligible qualification. Time spent outside Australia counts towards the visa period, and the visa cannot be extended.

How to apply for the 485 visa, step by step

1. Confirm your completion date. Ask your provider for a completion letter showing the date you met all course requirements. Your six-month clock starts here.
2. Book or check your English test. Make sure the result is dated within 12 months of your planned lodgement date and meets 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each band (or the equivalent).
3. Apply for your AFP check. Keep the application receipt; you will upload it with your 485.
4. Arrange health insurance. Get an OVHC policy (or extend suitable cover) that starts no later than your application date.
5. Get a skills assessment if you are applying in the Post-Vocational Education Work stream.
6. Gather documents: passport, completion letter, academic transcripts, CoE history, English test result, AFP receipt, insurance certificate, and identity documents for any family members.
7. Lodge in ImmiAccount while you are in Australia and pay the visa application charge.
8. Respond to requests. Complete health examinations and answer any requests for information within the deadline given.

If you lodge while holding a valid Student visa, you will normally be granted a bridging visa that lets you stay lawfully while the 485 is processed. Processing times move month to month, so check the Home Affairs global processing times guide for your stream before you make work or travel plans.

Common mistakes that sink 485 applications

• Missing the six-month window. The window runs from your course completion date, not from your graduation ceremony. Graduates who wait for the ceremony often find they are already out of time.
• An English test older than 12 months. A score that was valid when you enrolled may not be valid when you apply for a 485.
• One band below 5.5. A 7.0 overall with a 5.0 in writing does not meet the requirement.
• No AFP evidence. Lodging without proof you have applied for the AFP check can make the application invalid.
• Counting non-Australian study. Semesters completed online from overseas or at a branch campus outside Australia do not count towards the 92-week Australian study requirement.
• Applying in the wrong stream. A diploma holder cannot use the Post-Higher Education Work stream, and a degree holder relying on a diploma in the Post-Vocational stream still needs the matching skills assessment.
• Turning 36 before lodging. If your birthday is close, lodge early.
• Letting health insurance lapse between OSHC and OVHC.

Applying from an Indian or Malaysian background

Indian graduates

Indian nationals have the most generous 485 stay periods of any large student cohort: 3 years for a masters (coursework or research) and up to 4 years for a PhD, compared with 2 and 3 years for most other nationalities. That extra year can matter a great deal if you are aiming for a skilled or employer-sponsored pathway, because it gives more time to build Australian work experience. Indian passport holders are not English-exempt, so an up-to-date test is still required. If you lived in India for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, have an Indian Police Clearance Certificate plan ready in case it is requested.

Malaysian graduates

Malaysian passport holders receive the standard stay periods in the table above. A common issue for Malaysian students is the Australian study requirement: years completed at an Australian university's Malaysian campus, or in a twinning or 2+2 arrangement, do not count. Only the CRICOS-registered study you completed while in Australia counts towards the 92 weeks, so check your transcript carefully before relying on a 2+2 degree.

What comes after the 485?

The 485 is a bridge, not a permanent visa. Since 1 July 2024 you also cannot apply for a Student visa from inside Australia while holding a 485, so you need a plan for what follows. Common next steps are:

• Employer sponsorship through the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa, which can lead to permanent residence.
• Skilled independent or state-nominated visas (subclass 189, 190 or 491), which start with a skills assessment and an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect.
• A partner visa, if you are in a genuine relationship with an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Migration settings continue to change during 2026. Our summaries of the 1 July 2026 visa changes and the September 2026 migration rules explain what has moved this year.

How EazyViza can help

At AUD 5,750 for the main applicant, a refused or invalid 485 is an expensive mistake, and the fee is not refunded. EazyViza's migration team, backed by the lawyers at Collins Quarters in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur, can:

• Check your six-month window, Australian study requirement and stream before you pay anything.
• Review your English result, AFP evidence and insurance so the application is valid on lodgement.
• Prepare and lodge your onshore 485 application for you.
• Map your next step after the 485, whether that is employer sponsorship, a skilled visa or a partner visa.

Start with the free EazyViza eligibility checker, or send us an enquiry to speak with the team.

Official sources

• Home Affairs: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
• Home Affairs: English language requirements
• Home Affairs: Visa Pricing Estimator
• Study Australia: Temporary Graduate visa
• Australian Federal Police: National Police Checks

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Visa requirements, fees and processing times change, sometimes without notice. Information is current as at 7 October 2026. Get advice on your own circumstances from a registered migration agent or lawyer before you apply.