What’s the importance of having an immigration checklist? The immigration process to Australia can be complex and time-consuming, so it’s important to have a system in place to keep track of all the required steps and supporting documents. An immigration checklist can help you stay organised and ensure that you’re not missing anything.
What Is the Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485)?
The purpose of a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is to allow international students who have recently graduated from an Australian educational institution to live, study, and work in Australia for a temporary period of time.
This visa aims to help international students gain valuable work experience in Australia, which can help them improve their skills and knowledge, and make them more competitive in the global job market.
These are the streams under this visa:
Here’s an immigration checklist for all the 485 visa stream eligibility requirements for easy reference:
Graduate Work Stream and Post-study Work Stream
| Graduate work stream | Post-study work stream |
| ☐ You are under 50 years of age. ☐ You hold an eligible visa. ☐ You have held a student visa in the last 6 months. ☐ You have a qualification relevant to an occupation on the skilled occupation list. ☐ You have applied for a skills assessment in your nominated occupation on the skilled occupation list. ☐ Evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants when you apply. ☐ Evidence that you have applied for an AFP check when you apply. ☐ Evidence of the required level of English with the application. | ☐ You are under 50 years of age. ☐ You have applied for and been granted your first student visa on or after 5 November 2011. ☐ You hold an eligible visa ☐ You have held a student visa in the last 6 months. ☐ You have a recent degree in a CRICOS-registered course. ☐ Evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants when you apply. ☐ Evidence that you have applied for an AFP check when you apply. ☐ Evidence of the required level of English with the application. |
Second Post-study Work Stream and Replacement Stream
| Second post-study work stream | Replacement stream |
| ☐ You are under 50 years of age. ☐ You are in Australia when you apply for this visa. ☐ You hold a Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, or hold a Temporary Graduate visa in the replacement stream and have held a Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream, as the main applicant. ☐ You have a degree in a CRICOS-registered course from an education institution based in an eligible designated regional area, that led to the grant of your first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream. ☐ You have lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least 2 years before applying for the second Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream. ☐ Evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants when you apply. | ☐ Make an application before 1 January 2027. ☐ You have held a relevant Temporary Graduate visa that was granted before 15 December 2021. ☐ You have lost time on your visa because of Australia’s COVID-19 travel restrictions. ☐ You have not had your Temporary Graduate visa, or any visa granted after you held your Temporary Graduate visa, cancelled, unless it was cancelled because you asked for it to be. |
The Graduate Work Stream
The Graduate Work Stream subclass 485 visa is a temporary visa available to international students who have recently graduated with qualifications relevant to specific occupations Australia needs.
To apply for this visa, students must nominate an occupation on the Skills List (MLTSSL). The studies must be “closely related” to the nominated occupation and registered on CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students).
The Post-study Work Stream
The Post-Study Work Stream subclass 485 visa has full work and study rights, allowing students to gain valuable work experience in Australia. It also allows for travel to and from Australia during the validity of the visa. The visa application process is done online through ImmiAccount, where students must submit scanned copies or photocopies of their documents and pay the application fee.
The Second Post-study Work Stream
The Second Post-Study Work Stream subclass 485 visa is a temporary visa available to holders of a first Temporary Graduate visa in the post-study work stream who graduated with a degree from an Australian institution.
This visa stream requires ongoing residence in a regional area, and this can include remote working from home for an employer located elsewhere and distance education from an educational institution located elsewhere. The visa application process is similar to that of the first Temporary Graduate visa, and it is done through ImmiAccount.
Replacement Stream
The Replacement Stream subclass 485 visa is a visa category introduced by the Australian government to address the impact of COVID-19 travel restrictions on current and former subclass 485 visa holders.
This visa is for current and former Temporary Graduate visa holders who lost time on their original visa due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. It allows eligible visa holders to apply for another subclass 485 visa of the same duration as their original visa if they were unable to stay in Australia for the full period of their previous visa due to the COVID-19 restrictions that were in force from 1 February 2020 to 14 December 2021.
Immigration Checklist for Documentary Requirements
Aside from the eligibility requirements, you need to take note of the documentary requirements that you need to prepare to apply for any of the visa streams mentioned above. Here’s an immigration checklist for the general documentary requirements:
- Current passport
- National identity card
- Completion letter or educational certificate from your Australian education institution or overseas education institution or academic transcripts
- Confirmation of Enrolment for intended courses and educational history
- A copy of research documents (thesis/projects) if you are a research student undertaking research.
- Evidence to show that you meet the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement for a student visa
- English language requirement documents
- Evidence of financial capacity such as bank statements or paychecks
- Employment contract if necessary
- A copy of individual tax returns to the Australian Tax Office
- Valid skills assessment documents
- Health insurance (Overseas Student Health Cover or OSHC)
- Character documents: Form 80 and Form 1221
- Partner documents like a marriage certificate, if married.
- Dependant documents, if any.
- Have all non-English documents translated to English.
- Residence documents, for the second post-study visa stream.
- Work and study documents, for the second post-study visa stream.
Talk to a Migration Attorney
While we have provided a general immigration checklist, depending on your specific circumstances, you may need to consider other points. In such situations, it is necessary to speak with migration lawyers who can provide you with tailored advice.
If you are considering studying and working in Australia, it is important to seek the advice of a qualified migration lawyer.
Our migration attorneys at JB Solicitors can help you understand the complex Australian immigration system and guide you through the visa application process, explain the contents of your immigration checklist, and go through your immigration history and any other relevant matter.
Contact us through this link.
