Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) Vocational Education Work Stream

485 Vocational Education Work Visa Length

With this temporary visa you can usually stay in Australia for 18 months starts on the date the Department of Home Affairs grants the visa.

Hong Kong passport holders may stay up to 5 years. For further information on recent changes regarding Hong Kong passport holders read New visa options for Hong Kong.

To stay further in Australia after this visa, you might be eligible for other skilled work visas.

485 Vocational Education Work Stream Visa Costs

The cost of this visa is from AUD 1945. Other costs including charge for each family member in your application may applies.（Update date：2025.01）

Other Costs

You might also have to pay other costs for health checks or police certificates and biometrics.

485 Vocational Education Work Stream Visa Processing Time'

• 50% of applications: 4 Months
• 90% of applications: 8 Months

（Update date：2025.01）

Your application can take longer to process if:

• you do not fill it in correctly
• the Department of Home Affairs needs more information from you
• it takes the Department time to verify your information

The Department can’t process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. You will be notified if this is the case and if necessary return your application.

485 Vocational Education Work Stream Visa Eligibility

Age:

You must be under 50 years of age.

Australian study

Unless impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions, in the past 6 months before you applied for this visa you must have met the Australian study requirement. You will meet this if you are awarded at least one degree, diploma or trade qualification and:

• your course was a CRICOS-registered course
• you successfully completed all course requirements
• your study was in English
• you completed your course as a result of at least two academic years (92) weeks study
• you completed your course in Australia in not less than 16 calendar months
• you held an Australian study visa that allowed you to study

When applying for this stream of the subclass 485, the course or courses must have resulted in a degree, diploma or trade qualification.

To meet the 2 academic year component of the Australian study requirement, you may combine courses in some circumstances.

Eligible skill and qualification

You will need to:

• nominate 1 occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and
• have a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation and
• be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as having skills suitable for that occupation

You must nominate the occupation when you apply, or the Department of Home Affairs can’t process your visa application. You can’t change the occupation you nominate after you apply.

The qualification level must be closely related to that occupation.

Additionally, your skills must be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated occupation.

If your skills are assessed on the basis of a qualification you got in Australia when you held a student visa, the qualification must be from studying a course registered on CRICOS.

You must provide evidence when you apply that you have at least applied for a skills assessment or the Department cannot process your visa application.

It is your responsibility to arrange for the skills assessment. Contact the relevant assessing authority well before you apply for this visa, because each assessing authority has its own assessment procedures, timeframes and charges. See how in Before you apply.

Some assessing authorities only provide assessments that are valid for a set period. It is your responsibility to check that this period has not expired by the time the Department makes a decision. If there is no set period, then you must have obtained the assessment within the last 3 years.

English

You can either show the Department of Home Affairs that you hold a valid passport from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland,

or prove your English proficiency.

To do this, show the Department evidence that in the last 3 years, you achieved:

Health insurance

You must have adequate health cover for the whole of your stay to be granted this visa. Your cover should cover you for medically necessary treatment, including transport. Medical insurance helps limit your financial liability.

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from Services Australia about reciprocal healthcare agreements.

Health and Character

You and any family who apply for the visa with you must meet our health requirement.

You and any family members aged 16 years and over who apply for the visa must meet our character requirement.

Visa Record

You might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.  

485 Vocational Education Work Stream Visa Checklists

Identity documents

• the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
• a national identity card, if you have one
• proof of change of name

Documents that prove a change of name include:

• a marriage or divorce certificate
• change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
• documents that show other names you have been known by

Study documents

• a completion letter from your education provider, stating:
  • the date the course started
  • the date you completed the course
  • your education provider’s CRICOS code
• a certified copy of course transcripts.

If you have had any credit applied to your course and you want to use the credit to meet the Australian study requirement, you must also provide those course details and prove that your credit met the conditions of the Australian study requirement.

English language test results

You need to prove your English proficiency. To do this, show the Department evidence that in the last 3 years, you achieved:

You do not need to provide these results if you hold a valid passport from:

• the United Kingdom
• Canada
• New Zealand
• the United States
• the Republic of Ireland

Skills assessment

Provide evidence that your skills have been assessed as suitable for your nominated occupation by the relevant assessment authority.

If you haven’t got one yet, you can provide evidence that you have applied to the relevant assessment authority to have your skills assessed, and send the completed assessment before the Department of Home Affairs make a decision on your visa.

Health insurance

You must prove that you have adequate health insurance in Australia. Provide:

• a signed letter from a health insurance provider
• evidence of health insurance that currently covers you and will cover your stay on a Subclass 485 visa, dating from the date of visa application for it.

 Character

You and any other applicants over 16 years of age must provide evidence that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check during the 12 months before you apply for this visa.

The Department of Home Affairs only accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. They do not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

If requested by the Department, 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
• military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country

Partner documents

Provide your partner’s following document if your partner is applying with you:

• identity documents
• character documents
• documents about other family members, if applicable

If you are married, provide your marriage certificate or other evidence that your marriage is valid in Australia.

If you are a de facto partner, provide proof of your de facto relationship.

This proof should show that:

• you have a mutual commitment with your partner to the exclusion of all others
• your relationship is genuine and continuing
• you either live together or don’t live permanently apart
• you are not related by family

For a de facto relationship, please also provide evidence that:

• you have been in your de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you applied for this visa, or
• if applicable, provide evidence that your relationship is registered by a participating Australian state or territory

Dependants under 18 documents

For every dependant 18 years old or younger who is applying with you, provide:

1. copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all your dependent children
2. copies of the adoption paper, if applicable
3. parental responsibility documents

You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who:

• has a legal right to decide where the child lives and
• is not coming to Australia with the child

They must complete either:

• Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (240KB PDF)
• a statutory declaration giving their consent for the child to visit Australia on this visa

Alternatively, you can show the Department of Home Affairs:

• an Australian court order that allows your child to migrate to Australia, or
• that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate

Include:

• an identity document that shows the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or driver’s licence
• adoption papers or other court documents if applicable

Dependants over 18 documents

To include your child who is over 18 in your visa application, they must be:

• over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner, or
• over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner

If your child is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability.

Provide:

• a copy of their birth certificate to prove their relationship to you
• documents about their other relationships, if applicable
• identity documents
• character documents

You must also provide proof the child is dependent on you.

• proof of your relationship with the dependant such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
• a completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (307KB PDF)
• proof of financial dependency such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
• if the child is aged 23 or is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you must also provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner that states they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions