485 visa eligibility explained: age, study, English, and stream requirements under current 2026 rules. See common refusal reasons and how Australian Immigration Consultants can confirm your eligibility before you apply.
The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) looks straightforward on paper, but eligibility rules changed significantly through 2024-2026 — and a single overlooked requirement, like a course length falling short by a few weeks, can mean an automatic refusal with no fee refund. Before you lodge, it's worth understanding exactly what Home Affairs checks, stream by stream.
Regardless of which 485 stream you're applying under, these baseline requirements apply to all applicants:
Your course of study must meet the "Australian study requirement" — a minimum of 92 weeks (roughly two academic years) of CRICOS-registered study, completed over at least 16 calendar months while physically in Australia, and taught entirely in English. Since 14 December 2024, under the Migration Amendment (Graduate Visas No. 2) Regulations 2024, Graduate Certificates no longer satisfy the definition of "degree" for the Post-Higher Education Work stream — a change that has caught out graduates who assumed their qualification would automatically qualify them.
Minimum English test scores apply to all 485 applicants, and the accepted testing formats were tightened from 7 August 2025. Only in-centre or approved test formats count — IELTS Online, PTE Online, and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted for this visa, even though they're accepted for some other visa subclasses. Booking the right test format early avoids a common last-minute delay.
The 485 visa has three distinct streams, and eligibility criteria diverge sharply between them:
| Stream | Qualification Needed | Occupation List Required? | Skills Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Vocational Education Work | Diploma or trade qualification | Yes — must match skilled list | Required |
| Post-Higher Education Work | Bachelor, Master (coursework/research), or PhD | No | Not required |
| Second Post-Higher Education Work | As above, plus regional study/residence | No | Not required |
Speak directly with registered migration professionals to evaluate your visa pathways.
You'll need to maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) until your 485 visa is granted, after which most applicants transition to private health cover or another approved arrangement. Character requirements may include police certificates from any country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years, and providing false or misleading information at this stage can trigger a PIC 4020 refusal that affects future applications too.
Refusals under the 485 program tend to cluster around a small set of avoidable issues:
Because refusal fees aren't refunded and a knocked-back application can complicate your next visa strategy, checking eligibility against the current rules before lodgement is far cheaper than fixing a refusal afterward.
Speak with Australian Immigration Consultants or call +61 424 295 050 — a quick review can confirm your stream, qualification match, and timing before your six-month window closes.
Led by MARA-registered agent Fahad Shamim (MARN 2619225), Australian Immigration Consultants reviews each client's qualification, course length, English test format, and timing against current Home Affairs requirements before recommending a stream. This matters most for graduates whose award sits close to a threshold — a Graduate Certificate, a course just under 92 weeks, or a lapsed six-month window — where a five-minute check can prevent a costly refusal.
Is there an age limit for the 485 visa?
Yes, applicants must generally be under 50 at the time of application.
Do I need a skills assessment for the 485 visa?
Only for the Post-Vocational Education Work stream — the Post-Higher Education Work stream doesn't require one.
Can I apply for a 485 visa with a Graduate Certificate?
Not under the current degree definition since 14 December 2024 — check your specific qualification level before applying.
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