The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that from 01 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, students will be able to apply for the Graduate Visa 485 on the Work Stream without the need to nominate an eligible skilled occupation and neither to obtain a skills assessment.
This change will only benefit graduates with a degree, diploma and trade qualifications that satisfy the Australian study requirement with a minimum duration of at least 92 weeks (two academic year course). The requirement of 92 weeks of study, can be satisfied with one or more qualifications, however, at this stage, this must be completed before 30 June 2023. Therefore, at present students that do not have completed at least a course of 46 weeks (one academic year course), will not be able to take advantage of this temporary change.
Important points to consider:
1. English courses cannot be used towards the 92 weeks requirement.
2. 485 Graduate Visa can only be applied once in a lifetime (as a primary applicant). Therefore, if your intention is to pursue a strategy for a Permanent Residence (PR) in Australia, you should make sure you apply for the 485 Visa at the correct timeline and aligned with your PR strategy.
3. 485 Graduate Visa must be applied within 6 months after graduation and the main applicant must hold an eligible student visa or have held an eligible student visa in the past 6 months before the 485 visa application and now hold an eligible visa in Australia.
4. This change does not affect graduates of higher education courses (Bachelor, Master and PhD) as they are eligible to apply for the 485 Post-Study Work Stream within 6 months after graduation without any restrictions of the period given for this temporary change on the 485 Graduate Work Stream.
5. Graduates that do not qualify to take advantage of this temporary concession, may still want to pursue the 485 Graduate Work Stream as per standard requirements, which includes nominating an eligible skilled occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and obtaining a Skills Assessment of the nominated occupation.
Wondering how this might impact your visa plans?
Make an appointment with us so we can assess your eligibility and prepare a migration plan in line with your goals in Australia.
Contact via: enquire@visaroos.com
Dario Ishiyama – Principal Registered Migration Agent, Visaroos
MARN: 1800462