It is a good way to extend your stay in Australia to improve your chances of becoming eligible for a permanent or provisional skilled visa.

The primary applicant must be in Australia when they make their application for a 485 visa, and must have held an eligible student visa within the 6 month period prior to lodgement.

Ø  Age: The main applicant must be under 50 at the date of lodgment.

Ø  English: The main applicant must demonstrate their English language ability, either through holding certain types of passport or by undertaking an English test.Evidence of threshold English must be provided at date of lodgement

Ø  Study in Australia: You must meet the 2 year study requirement and have completed qualifications within six months of applying for the visa.

Ø  Point Test: The Temporary Graduate subclass 485 visa is not points-tested.

• Spouses, defacto partners and same-sex partners
• Dependent children

If you already hold a 485 visa, you can apply for family members to join you in Australia on 485 visas.

Duration of the PSWV depends on which qualification has been completed in Australia as follows:

• 2 years: completion of Bachelor Degree, Bachelor with Honours, Masters by Coursework or Masters (Extended)
• 3 years: Masters by Research
• 4 years: Doctorate

Whilst on a 485 visa, you have unrestricted work rights in Australia.

You must maintain private health insurance whilst on a skilled graduate visa. A list of the major providers is at 485 Visa Insurance

• 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.

This represents a significant lowering of the English language requirement and will be a great relief to applicants who have struggled to meet the minimum score required in each band.

• Some skills assessment authorities (eg the Accounting Professional Bodies) require English testing for the Graduate Work skills assessment – there is no indication as yet as to whether the assessment authorities will change their English language requirements.
• If completing the OET, the required scores have not changed.
• The English requirements for the Recognised Graduate Subclass 476 visa are similar.