Graduate Visa Australia

Temporary graduate visa subclass 485

This visa is for international student graduates who completed at least 2 academic years of studies in Australia and enables them to work full time during the validity of the visa (18 months – 4 years). There are two different streams of the skilled graduate visa:

Post-study work stream

To qualify under this stream you must graduate from a Bachelor, Masters or PhD course in Australia (in any field) and achieve required English test score (IELTS 6 overall or equivalent).

This stream is only available to those who applied for their first student visa in Australia on or after November 2011. Duration of the visa depends on the qualification obtained – 2 years for Bachelor and Masters by coursework degrees, 3 years for Masters by research and 4 years for PhD graduates.

Graduate work stream

For this visa stream, you must nominate an occupation from the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and obtain a positive skills assessment for the 485 visa. Studies on Cert. III, Cert. IV level (for trade occupations) and higher – Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor, Graduate Diploma, and Masters degree are acceptable; however, each of the courses must be closely related to the nominated occupation. English level for the visa is same as for the post-study stream but some skills assessment authorities may require a higher score. Once granted, the visa is valid for 18 months.

Skilled-Recognised Graduate visa subclass 476

This visa is for recent engineering graduates from recognised overseas institutions enabling them to work full time in Australia for duration of 18 months.

To qualify for this visa you must be younger than 31 years and must have completed eligible engineering qualification from one of the recognised Universities in the past 2 years. You will also need to demonstrate your English language ability and achieve score 6 from IELTS test or equivalent.

You must be outside Australia when the visa is granted.