If you're planning to study in Australia, the Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485) is probably doing more work in your decision than you realise. It's the visa that bridges the gap between finishing your degree and either finding a skilled job, applying for permanent residency, or simply gaining real work experience before heading home. But the rules around who gets how long are more specific than most students expect — and getting them wrong can mean applying for the wrong visa stream entirely.
What the Subclass 485 actually is
The Temporary Graduate visa lets recent graduates of an Australian institution live and work in Australia temporarily after their studies. It has two main streams relevant to most international students: the Post-Higher Education Work stream (for Bachelor's, Master's and PhD graduates) and the Post-Vocational Education Work stream (for certain vocational qualifications linked to in-demand occupations).
How long you actually get
Duration depends on your qualification level, not just whether you graduated:
- Bachelor's degree: up to 18 months to 2 years, depending on current settings
- Master's by coursework: typically 2–3 years
- Master's by research: extended further, generally up to 3 years
- PhD: the longest allocation, up to 4 years
This is the single biggest reason course selection matters beyond just the subject — a Master's by research can be worth a meaningfully longer stay than an equivalent coursework degree.
Eligibility conditions that trip people up
A few conditions catch students off guard:
- Age limit: you generally need to be under 35 at the time of application (this is higher — up to 50 — for Master's by research and PhD graduates)
- Timing: you must apply within a specific window after your course ends — leaving it too late is a common, avoidable mistake
- CRICOS-registered course: your course must be on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
- English requirement: a minimum English test score is required at the time of application, not just at admission
What the visa fee looks like
The application fee for the Temporary Graduate visa has increased significantly in recent years — budget for several thousand Australian dollars, and check the current fee at the time you apply rather than relying on a figure you saw months earlier, since this has changed more than once.
What the 485 doesn't do
It's worth being clear-eyed about this: the 485 is a temporary work visa, not a pathway to permanent residency on its own. It buys you time — to gain the skilled work experience, build the points, or find the employer sponsorship — that a separate PR pathway (like the General Skilled Migration program) would actually require. Treat it as a runway, not a destination.