FEATURES

The visa has full work rights, and also full study rights. It allows you to travel freely to and from Australia during the validity of the visa.

ELIGIBILITY

• you applied for and were granted, your first student visa to Australia on or after 5 November 2011

• you hold an eligible qualification

• your qualification was conferred or awarded by an Australian university or non-university education provider that is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Courses and Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS) and that provider offers courses at degree level and above

• your study for the qualification(s) satisfied the Australian study requirement in the past six months.

ELIGIBLE QUALIFICATIONS

For the purposes of applying for a subclass 485 visa under the Post-Study Work stream, only study that results in the conferral of an eligible degree level qualification will be considered. An eligible degree level qualification is a:

• Bachelor degree

• Bachelor (Honours) degree

• Masters by coursework degree

• Masters (extended) degree

• Masters by research degree

• Doctoral degree

Study resulting in a diploma level qualification or trade qualification will not be considered

As an example, a student may complete a one year Bachelor degree followed by a one year Masters degree and meet the Australian study requirement under the Post-Study Work stream, provided the other components of the requirement are satisfied.

Courses undertaken to lead to the conferral of an eligible degree level qualification may be considered towards meeting the Australian study requirement.

This means that degree-level courses which are packaged with a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma course may be considered, provided the applicant ultimately completes an eligible qualification.

A Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma course cannot be used to meet the Australia study requirement on its own.

The study must be at an eligible education provider

VALIDITY PERIOD

The duration of the visa depends on which studies have been completed as follows:

• PhD: 4 years

• Masters by Research: 3 years

• Masters by Coursework or Bachelor Degree: 2 years

AUSTRALIAN STUDY REQUIREMENTS

You must complete a course or series of courses in Australia which take at least 2 academic years. There are a number of requirements:

• Only studies at the Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate level count towards the 2 years requirement

• The studies must be registered on CRICOS (see http://cricos.deewr.gov.au), and the total registered study period according to CRICOS must be at least 92 weeks.

• You can count more than one course, providing each course meets the above requirements and results in 2 academic years of study

• You can have a break in between studies

OCCUPATION LIST

There is no occupation list for the Post Study Work Visa.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Not Required

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• Hold a passport from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada or New Zealand; or

• IELTS (Academic or General Training): overall average of 6 and at least 5 in each band; or

• Occupational English Test (OET): B Pass in each band; or

• Pearson (PTE Academic): overall average of 50 with at least 36 in each band; or

• TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test): total score of 64, with at least 4 in Listening and Reading, and at least 14 in Writing and Speaking; or

• Cambridge (CAE): 169 overall average with at least 154 in each band.

HEALTH INSURANCE

You will need to show that you have adequate arrangements for health insurance when your 485 visa is granted. Whilst it is OK to have OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) at the time of application, you will need Working Visa cover for approval of your 485 visa.

You also need to maintain your Working Visa cover whilst you hold your 485 visa. If you do not maintain this level of cover, your 485 visa might be cancelled.

HEALTH CHECKS

You would generally need to do medicals for grant of a 485 visa. If you’ve recently applied for a student visa extension, you may be able to re-use these medicals.

POLICE CHECKS

You will need an Australian Federal Police (AFP) Check for yourself and any members of your family aged 16 or over. You must apply for the AFP checks prior to lodgement of your 485 visa.

Note that from February 2015, police checks for countries you have lived in outside Australia are no longer required.

TIME LIMITS

You must apply for your 485 visa within 6 months of completion of your Australian studies. You must either hold a student visa when you apply or have held a student visa within the last 6 months. You must also make sure that you apply prior to the expiry of your student visa, or at least have applied for another visa and are on a bridging A or B visa when the 485 application is lodged.

BRIDGING VISAS

You will get BVA when you lodge your application.

PROCESSING TIME

2-3 MONTHS