Good News for International Students: Two-Year Extension to Graduate Visa 485
The Graduate visa subclass 485 is a temporary visa for individuals who have completed their education in Australia. Interestingly, Graduate visa holders can stay in Australia for 18 to 48 months. Plus, it offers full work rights to holders and has promising prospects of permanent residence in the future if used strategically.
As an international student in Australia, you must be aware that some rules and requirements for the Graduate visa subclass 485 are expected to change soon.
Recap of The Graduate Visa And Previous Changes
Before we move ahead in our discussion, you should know that the Graduate visa has 2 streams.
- Post-Study Work Rights Stream designed for graduates of higher education
- Graduate Work Stream designed for students who finished any 2-year Diploma or Trade Certificate in any profession
Coming to the previous changes to the Graduate Visa 485, all overseas students finishing any 2-year Trade Certificate or Diploma in any field in a VET college have been allowed to apply for a 2-year Graduate Visa 485 under the Graduate Work Stream from 1 July 2022. This Update applied to all applicants, irrespective of the fact that their occupation was mentioned on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or not.
Related Articles:
- Australian Student Visa Subclass 500: Eligibility & Requirements
- Best University Scholarships For Overseas Students To Study In Australia
- Australian Work Visa Application Process
- Migrant Workers Are Underpaid In Australia!
- Employers Can Now Sponsor Overseas Aged Care Workers In Australia
What Are The Latest Changes For The Graduate Visa 485?
Unfortunately, the concession we just talked about earlier ended on 1 July 2023. From now on, applicants will be required to nominate a Skilled occupation mentioned on the MLTSSL and obtain a positive skills assessment to go for the Graduate visa subclass 485 under the Graduate Work Stream.
In addition to this, the course applicants graduated from in Australia need to be closely linked to the nominated occupation.
There are also changes for graduates applying under the Post-Study Work Rights stream. The Australian government has decided to offer a 2-year extension of post-study work rights for overseas graduates holding specific degrees that fall under the areas of verified skill shortage.
Let’s see how the Australian government will allocate the post-study work rights extension based on applicants’ qualifications.
- Bachelor’s degree graduates will get four years instead of two.
- Master’s degree graduates will get five years of extension rather than three.
- D. graduates will receive six years of extension, not four given previously.
This extension is an addition to the extra one or two years of work rights given to applicants in 2022 in regional areas.
Furthermore, graduates holding a Temporary Graduate visa under the Post-Study Work stream on 1 July 2023 were said to be eligible for the two-year extension. Moreover, applicants who submitted their applications on or after 1 July 2023 can also secure a two-year extension. The applicants’ qualifications should be on the list of eligible qualifications as stated by the Department of Education to avail all the concessions effectively.
We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on Australian immigration.
