Can online study count for a 485 visa? Only if studied in Australia — offshore online study no longer qualifies since Nov 2023. See the current rules and how Australian Immigration Consultants can check your eligibility.
If you studied online while physically in Australia, that study generally counts toward your 485 eligibility. If you studied online from outside Australia, it generally doesn't — and the COVID-era exception that once allowed offshore online study to count ended on 25 November 2023. This single distinction trips up more 485 applicants than almost any other eligibility rule.
To qualify for the 485 visa, you must meet the "Australian Study Requirement" (ASR) — a minimum of 92 CRICOS-registered weeks (roughly two academic years), completed over at least 16 calendar months, while holding a student visa. Crucially, this requirement is measured by your course's registered duration, not how long you personally took to finish it.
During COVID-19 travel restrictions, Home Affairs allowed international students studying online from offshore to count that time toward the ASR. That concession has now ended. For any 485 visa application lodged on or after 25 November 2023, offshore online study — even if it happened during the pandemic — no longer counts toward the Australian Study Requirement. This applies retroactively to that study period, not just to study completed after the cutoff date.
Understanding what actually satisfies the ASR avoids one of the most common 485 refusal triggers:
| Study Scenario | Counts Toward ASR? |
|---|---|
| On-campus study, physically in Australia | Yes |
| Online study, physically in Australia | Yes |
| Online study, offshore (pre-COVID or COVID-era) | No, as of 25 Nov 2023 |
| Study on a non-student visa | No |
| Course under 92 registered weeks | No, unless topped up |
Speak directly with registered migration professionals to evaluate your visa pathways.
Graduates most often get caught out when they assume total enrolment length automatically satisfies the ASR, without checking whether some of that time was studied offshore. A 1.5-year (78-week) Master's degree, for example, does not meet the requirement on its own — it needs to be topped up with additional eligible study, such as a related Graduate Diploma, to reach the 92-week threshold. Because the 485 is effectively a "one-shot" application in most cases, a miscalculated ASR can mean losing the entire pathway.
With the 485 application fee now at AUD $5,750 for the primary applicant (following the July 2026 increase) and no refund on refusal, getting this calculation wrong is an expensive mistake. Combined with the six-month lodgement deadline from your course completion date, there's little room to fix an ASR miscalculation after the fact — which is why checking it properly before you apply matters more now than in previous years.
Get your study record reviewed by Australian Immigration Consultants or call +61 424 295 050 before you risk a $5,750 application on an eligibility gap.
Led by MARA-registered agent Fahad Shamim (MARN 2619225), Australian Immigration Consultants reviews your CRICOS-registered course structure, location of study, and enrolment history against the current ASR rules — including flagging any offshore online units that won't count post-November 2023. Where a shortfall exists, AIC can also advise on eligible "top-up" study options before your six-month window closes.
Does online study still count for the 485 visa?
Only if you were physically in Australia while studying online — offshore online study no longer counts.
Did the COVID-19 online study concession end?
Yes, it ended on 25 November 2023 for applications lodged on or after that date.
What if my course is shorter than 92 weeks?
You may need additional eligible study, such as a related qualification, to meet the Australian Study Requirement.
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