Vocational, higher education or a second regional visa?
| Stream | Starting qualification or status | Extra check |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Vocational Education Work | Recent associate degree, diploma or trade qualification | It must relate to a nominated skilled occupation. Check the occupation list and required skills assessment. |
| Post-Higher Education Work | Recent eligible degree from an Australian institution; some related graduate diplomas can qualify | For a graduate diploma, check its link to an awarded degree and both Home Affairs timing pages; see the discrepancy note below. |
| Second Post-Higher Education Work | Eligible first Temporary Graduate visa linked to a degree at a regional institution | Check the exact first-visa history, qualifying regional institution and at least two years' eligible regional residence. |
Graduate diploma timing needs an extra check: the current Post-Higher Education Work eligibility panel says a related graduate diploma was completed in the same or next academic year as the successfully completed degree, while the program-change page says commenced in that window. These official pages use different verbs. If your dates make the difference material, check the current stream instructions and seek clarification before lodging. Home Affairs says you cannot change streams after applying. The former names Graduate Work and Post-Study Work may appear on older pages; use the current stream name in ImmiAccount. The old Replacement stream has ceased for new primary applicants. A second regional 485 has its own conditions and is not an automatic extension of a first visa.
Official 485 overview · Graduate diploma and stream changes · Vocational stream · Higher education stream · Second regional stream
Completion is earlier than the ceremony
Home Affairs says a first 485 application must be made within six months of course completion, and the course must be completed at least the day before lodgement. The completion date is when you first met the academic requirements and were told in writing, including by an email or official online publication. It is not the later graduation or degree-conferral ceremony. Ask your provider for a completion letter showing the date and the study details Home Affairs requests; keep transcripts and details of any credits.
Its study requirement generally needs 92 CRICOS-registered weeks contributing to an eligible qualification and at least 16 calendar months of study while physically in Australia on a visa allowing study. The CRICOS duration is the standard registered length, not simply how long you personally took. Credits, overlapping qualifications, overseas study and online periods can change the calculation. Use the complete official study-requirement page rather than adding calendar weeks yourself. The first-stream pages also require a Student visa held in the last six months and an eligible current visa at application.
Official study requirement and completion date · Check CRICOS registration
Check age on the day you apply
The usual maximum age on the current 485 stream pages is 35 years at application. Home Affairs lists specific exceptions: Hong Kong SAR or British National (Overseas) passport holders may use an under-50 rule, and the Post-Higher Education Work stream also has an under-50 rule for applicants using a master's by research or doctorate to meet its study requirement. The second regional stream has related exceptions. Check your exact stream and supporting qualification; a coursework master's is not automatically a research degree.
Primary applicants for the three current streams generally must be in Australia when they apply, with an eligible current visa. A Visitor 600 or a visa with a restricted condition is not a shortcut to assume 485 eligibility; read the detailed current-visa section of the correct stream. Subsequent family entrants can have different location rules.
Home Affairs changes and age exceptions · Current higher-education eligibility
Family joining after a 485 grant: check this visa's rule
The new restriction on adding family after a Student 500 grant does not itself close the Temporary Graduate 485 family route. On 4 October 2026, Home Affairs' current pages for the vocational, higher-education and second regional 485 streams each said an eligible family member can apply as a subsequent entrant after the 485 is granted, from in or outside Australia. Family-unit, health and character requirements still apply; an application is not a grant.
If family is included when the primary applicant first applies, the current stream pages say they must be in Australia. Before a decision, children can be added to that application, but other family members cannot. Check the exact stream's live About this visa → Include family and Apply from sections, especially if your plan spans a change in rules. Do not use the Student 500 after-grant restriction as the 485 instruction.
Vocational 485 family rules · Higher-education 485 family rules · Second regional 485 family rules · Compare the separate Student 500 rule →
Prepare more than the qualification certificate
For the first vocational and higher-education streams, Home Affairs lists evidence of the required English level and adequate health insurance for every applicant. Every applicant aged 16 or older must also provide evidence of applying for an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check within the 12 months ending the day before visa lodgement. An AFP application on the same day as the visa application does not meet these current stream instructions. Keep the dated AFP submission confirmation; the receipt can take up to 24 hours. Read the live page for test type, score and timing; an old score table can be wrong for a later test date. Check the health policy transition from Student OSHC to cover suitable for your next visa and keep it continuous where required.
The vocational stream additionally asks for a nominated occupation on the relevant list and evidence that you have applied for a skills assessment. The occupation and qualification must be closely related, and Home Affairs says the nominated occupation cannot be changed after lodgement. The second regional stream instead needs evidence of the qualifying first 485, regional degree and the required regional residence period. Its Character documents panel separately says you must provide a complete-disclosure AFP National Police Certificate to be granted. Follow the second stream instructions and any individual request. Attach the documents for the stream you actually choose, not a generic graduate checklist.
Vocational evidence and assessment · Higher-education evidence · Second regional evidence · AFP police-check guide →
Temporary work rights are separate from permanent residence
A granted 485 can allow temporary living, study and work in Australia under its stated conditions. Home Affairs lists up to 18 months for the vocational stream and usually two to three years for the higher-education stream, with passport and qualification exceptions. The second regional stream generally lasts one to two years, subject to its qualifying location. Check the exact grant, current cost and processing guide; neither a stay period nor a later permanent visa is promised by a course or this page.
A 485 is not extended automatically. Before it expires, compare any other suitable skilled or employer route against its own eligibility, nomination, sponsorship and timing rules. Do not assume that a pending application permits travel or work beyond the visa you actually hold.
Official 485 streams and conditions · Compare work visa options → · Travel while an application is pending →
Record your stream, completion date and evidence
Use the editable worksheet on your own device to check the official 485 page, study history and at-lodgement documents. No email or personal record upload is needed.
Get source-checked visa changes
Join for occasional Australian visa guide updates. The current 485 guide and private planner remain free without joining.