I Have a Student Visa. How Do I Apply for a Graduate Visa?

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Table of Contents

• Can I Apply for a Graduate Visa?
• Application Requirements
• The Four Streams
• Visa Duration
• Key Takeaways

As an international student who has recently graduated, you may wish to stay and work in Australia. If so, the Graduate 485 visa offers a great pathway to live, travel, work or complete further study in Australia temporarily after your graduation. It can allow you to stay in Australia for up to four years, depending on the nature of your education qualification. This article will explain the requirements you need to satisfy for a Graduate visa and how long the visa will last. 

Can I Apply for a Graduate Visa?

If you have completed tertiary education in Australia, you may be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa. Tertiary education is any education completed after high school. You will need to assess the requirements under each stream to understand whether you are eligible to apply. 

Application Requirements

When lodging a Graduate visa application, you must provide supporting evidence that you meet the requirements of this visa. The general requirements include:

• being under 50 years of age;
• holding an eligible visa;
• meeting health and character requirements;
• having adequate health insurance in Australia; and
• meeting English requirements.

For the English language requirement, you must achieve an overall score of at least six, with a minimum score of five for each of the four components within an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test (or equivalent English test) within the last three years. 

You may not need to sit for the examination if you hold a passport from: 

• UK;
• USA;
• NZ; 
• Canada; or 
• the Republic of Ireland. 

Depending on the Graduate visa stream you proceed with, additional requirements may apply.

Please note that the Australian Government announced a new Migration Strategy on 11 December 2023. One of the key highlights is the reform of the Temporary Graduate Visa to establish a more streamlined pathway to skilled employment. Proposed areas of reform include:

• reducing the maximum eligible age from 50 to 35 years;
• reducing the duration of the Temporary Graduate Visa; and
• abolishing the Replacement Stream.

Therefore, it is essential to carefully plan and determine whether this pathway is the most suitable for accessing work or permanent resident visas in Australia.

The Four Streams

The Graduate visa has four streams, depending on your circumstances. Each stream has additional requirements.

1. Graduate Work Stream

If you are an international student who has recently completed a degree, diploma, or trade qualification and wish to work, you may apply for a Graduate visa through the Graduate Work Stream. 

You must hold a student visa or have held one in the last six months before the date of application. You must also meet the ‘Australian study requirement’, which requires you to have an award of at least one degree/diploma/trade qualification and satisfy the following:

• hold a visa that allowed you to study;
• complete a course that is Commonwealth Register of Courses and Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registered;
• successfully complete all course requirements;
• complete your study in English; and
• complete your course after two years (92 weeks) of study.

Under this stream, typically your qualification must relate to an occupation listed on the Medium to Long-Term Strategic Skills List. Additionally, you must obtain a skills assessment from a relevant assessing authority to validate your profile against the occupation. 

2. Post-Study Work Stream

If you are an international student who has recently completed a degree and wish to work post-studies, you may apply for a Graduate visa through the Post-study work stream. This stream suits individuals with qualifications obtained through university education. 

You must have applied for (and be granted) your first student visa on or after 5 November 2011. Furthermore, you must hold a student visa or have held one in the last six months before the date of application.

In addition, you must meet the ‘Australian study requirement’ (as above). Moreover, you must hold an ‘eligible qualification at degree-level or above’. This includes Bachelor’s degrees up to Doctoral degrees attained through an Australian education provider. 

3. Second Post-Study Work Stream

If you hold a Graduate Visa (as a primary visa holder) in the first post-study work stream or replacement stream, and you graduated with a degree from an Australian institution located regionally, you can apply for a Graduate visa under the second post-study work stream. 

The following requirements apply:

• your degree must be CRICOS registered (as above);
• you must study for your degree from a campus of an Australian educational provider based in an eligible designated regional area;
• your degree must have led to the grant of your first post-study work stream visa;
• you must have lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least two years before applying for the second post-study work stream visa and provide evidence of this; and
• if you worked or studied whilst you held the first Graduate visa, the work and study must have been in the designated regional area.

4. Replacement Stream

If you hold a Graduate visa or have held one and are currently on a substantive/bridging visa, but you lost time on that visa due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, you may apply for a Graduate visa through the replacement stream.

You must meet the following requirements to apply for this stream: 

• make an application before 1 January 2027;
• hold a relevant Graduate visa granted before 15 December 2021 and in effect on/after 1 February 2020;
• demonstrate that you lost time on your visa due to Australia’s COVID-19 travel restrictions; and
• not have your Graduate visa or any visa granted afterwards cancelled (unless you requested it cancelled).

Demonstrating lost time on your visa requires you to show that:

• if you were in Australia when your visa was granted, you were outside of Australia while holding the visa between 1 February 2020 and 14 December 2021; or
• if you were outside of Australia when your visa was granted, you entered Australia on that visa and departed Australia on that visa before 15 December 2021. 

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Visa Duration

The length of your Graduate visa depends on which stream you applied within. In January 2023, the Department announced that certain Bachelor’s degrees or higher would have visa durations extended for two years. This extension applies in areas of skill shortages in certain industries. However, the specific degrees and the commencement date are yet to be announced. 

The following general timeframes apply: 

Key Takeaways

If you are completing or have recently completed tertiary education and would like to stay in the country to work post-graduation, the Graduate visa is an excellent option. Depending on the nature of your qualification, you can stay, travel, work or undertake further study in Australia for up to four years. However, you need to ensure that you meet the requirements before applying. 

If you need help with your graduate visa, our experienced immigration lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 1300 544 755 or visit our membership page.