> Up to 18 months for Post-Vocational Education Work stream.
> 2 to 3 years for Post-Higher Education Work stream. 

Post-Higher Education Work stream holder may be eligible for a Second Post-Higher Educational visa if the visa holder has graduated from a regional education institution, and lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least 2 years while holding his/her first Post-Higher Educational visa.

** Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may stay for 5 years.

With subclass 485 visa, you have unlimited work rights that allow you to work full-time in any occupation or location in Australia during the visa validity period.

No employer sponsorship is needed.

With unlimited work rights, subclass 485 visa allows you to gain work experience and potentially meet the requirements for other visas, such as employer-sponsored or skilled migration visas, which can eventually lead to permanent residency.

Furthermore, work experience gained in a nominated occupation can earn additional points towards eligibility of a points-based visa.

You must be 35 years of age or under when you apply,
or
you can be under 50 years of age when you apply if you:

• are using a Masters (research) or Doctoral Degree (PhD) to meet the Australian study requirement,
or
• hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport.

You must either:

• currently hold an eligible and valid
student visa
or
• have held a student visa within the past 6 months before your application and you now hold a substantive visa or
Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B.

Note: You must be in Australia when you apply for this visa.

You completed your course:

• in at least two academic years,
(92 weeks of registered study), and
• completed your course in Australia in not less than 16 calendar months.

You have the English language test score obtained within the last 12 months:

• click here to view the score band for Post-Vocational Education Work stream;
• click here to view the score band for Post-Higher Education Work stream;
or
• exempted if you hold a valid passport from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland.

You and everyone included in your application must maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia.

You and everyone included in your application must meet health and character requirements. This typically involves providing National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police and undergoing medical examinations (if you have not undertaken a health examination for an Australian visa in the last 12 months).

A certified copy of the page in your passport which shows the name and date of birth, passport number, issue and expiry date, and photograph of the holder.

A recent passport photo in the dimension of 45mm x 35mm. The photo must be against a plain background and taken within the past six months.

A certified copy of your academic transcripts, educational certificate (degree, diploma, etc.) or letter/statement from your Australian education institution.
And
a certified copy of course completion letter from your education institution, stating:
• the date the course started,
• the course name,
• the date you completed the course, and
• your education provider's CRICOS code.

A copy of your skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority.

Provide one of the following:

• A signed health insurance letter from a health insurance provider,
example: Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC)
or
• a certified copy of your Medicare card or receipt of enrolment with Medicare
or
• evidence of health insurance.

A copy of the National Police certificate issued by the Australian Federal Police within the past 12 months.

If requested, you may also need to provide:
• an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16, and
• military service records or discharge papers if you have served in the armed forces of any country.

You should only apply for this visa when your academic transcripts or educational certificate, and course completion letter have been issued. 

Nominate an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List  (click here to view the MLTSSL), and obtain a skills assessment from a relevant assessing authority as having the skills suitable for your nominated occupation.

Register for your English language test and obtain the required score.

More information on the English skill requirement:
• click here to view the score band for Post-Vocational Education Work stream;
• click here to view the score band for Post-Higher Education Work stream;

Prepare the required documents and bring them to an approved certifier to certify them as true copies of original documents.

If you have any non-English documents, you need to translate them into English.

Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in colour and make sure they are clear.

More information on the document requirements, click here.

Log in to ImmiAccount online.immi.gov.au:

• select subclass 485 form,
• complete the form,
• attach the documents, and
• pay the visa application fees.

You will be granted a bridging visa when you applied for this visa which allows you to stay in Australia after your current visa expires and before this visa is approved.

It is critical that you are staying in Australia lawfully, therefore, do not cancel your current visa. 

If you have a current visa with a 'No further stay' condition 8534 or 8503, you cannot apply for this visa unless you applied for a waiver.

You might be eligible for a 8503 waiver if there has been a major change of circumstances after your current visa was approved, and you have compelling and compassionate reasons to request for a waiver.

To check your visa conditions online, click here to vist VEVO.

You have completed your course in Australia in less than 16 calendar months.

Even if the educational institution recognised your overseas prior learning (RPL) and reduces the course duration in achieving your academic qualifications in Australia, this reduced course duration cannot be counted towards your 16-month of study completed while in Australia.

You must provide evidence of the date of course completion, and this cannot be the date of conferral nor thesis submission.

The official date of your course completion is the date when all your academic course requirements were met and you have officially completed the course. This must be in the form of written document from your educational institution.