485 Visa Requirements and Eligibility: 2026 Checklist by Stream

You’ve finished your course, your results are in, and now you’re trying to work out which 485 visa requirements apply to you. Stream pages, old blog posts and friends’ advice rarely agree.

The good news is that the rules are clear once you sort them by stream. Most of the mix-ups come from guides that still use the pre-July 2024 stream names and age limits.

This guide sets out the 485 visa eligibility rules for each of the three streams, as at 29 October 2026. It covers age, study, English, the police check and health cover.

It ends with a document checklist and a fee table for your family.

If you’re still deciding whether this visa suits your plans, start with The Migration’s 485 visa page. If you’re ready to prepare your application, read on.

Not sure which stream fits your qualification? Book a consultation and a MARA-registered agent will check it with you.

Which 485 visa requirements apply to every stream?

Every 485 applicant must be in Australia, be 35 or under, hold adequate health insurance and meet health and character rules. These are the common criteria on the Home Affairs Temporary Graduate visa pages.

The rules that apply to all three streams

• You are 35 or under when you apply. The regulations say “35 years old or younger”, so you still meet this rule until your 36th birthday.
• The limit is under 50 for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders. It is also under 50 if you rely on a Masters (research) or PhD.
• You are in Australia when you apply, but not in immigration clearance.
• You and every family member hold adequate health insurance from the day you apply.
• Everyone applying meets the health requirement. Everyone aged 16 or over meets the character requirement.
• Everyone aged 18 or over signs the Australian Values Statement.
• Nobody in the application owes the Australian Government money, unless a repayment plan is in place.

Home Affairs also looks at your visa history. A past refusal is not an automatic bar, but you must declare it.

What counts as adequate health insurance?

• Most people buy Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC), because student cover (OSHC) is tied to the Student visa.
• Cover must start by the day you lodge and last for your whole stay.
• People from a country with a reciprocal health care deal can rely on Medicare where it applies.

Read the Home Affairs guide to adequate health insurance before you buy.

What are the Post-Higher Education Work stream requirements?

The Post-Higher Education Work stream is for Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral graduates in any field, and needs no skills assessment. It is the stream most university graduates use.

Eligibility checklist

• You hold a Student visa. Or you held one in the last 6 months and now hold a Bridging Visa A or B, or another substantive visa.
• You were awarded a Bachelor, Bachelor honours, Masters or Doctoral degree in the 6 months before you apply.
• A Graduate Diploma counts if you finished it in the same or next academic year as an eligible degree, in a related field.
• Your course meets the Australian study requirement, explained further down.
• You have the required English result, or an exempt passport.
• You applied for an AFP check before the day you lodge.

How long you can stay

• Bachelor or Masters (coursework): 2 years.
• Masters (research) or PhD: 3 years.
• Indian citizens under AI-ECTA: Masters 3 years, PhD 4 years, Bachelor 2 years, or 3 years with first-class honours in STEM.
• Hong Kong and BN(O) passport holders: up to 5 years.

What are the Post-Vocational Education Work stream requirements?

The Post-Vocational Education Work stream is for diploma and trade graduates. Your course must be closely related to a job on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).

Eligibility checklist

• You meet the same Student visa and 6-month rules as the Post-Higher stream.
• You hold an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification, awarded in the 6 months before you apply.
• You nominate one MLTSSL occupation. You can’t change it after you lodge.
• You attach a skills assessment, or proof that you have applied for one. It stays valid for up to 3 years.
• You have the required English result and AFP check evidence.
• The stay is up to 18 months, or up to 5 years for Hong Kong and BN(O) passport holders.

Some assessing bodies ask for more study than the visa does, so check their rules before you enrol or apply.

Who is eligible for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream?

The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream gives 1 or 2 extra years. It is for graduates who studied at a regional campus and then lived regionally on their first 485.

Eligibility checklist

• You hold your first 485 in the Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Study Work or Replacement stream as the main applicant.
• The degree behind your first 485 came from a CRICOS provider campus in a designated regional area.
• You lived only in a designated regional area for at least 2 years immediately before you apply.
• Any work or study on your first 485 was done in a designated regional area.
• You have not held a 485 as the main applicant in the Post-Vocational (or Graduate Work) stream, or a subclass 476 visa.

How the extra time is worked out

• Category 2 areas (cities and major regional centres): 1 extra year.
• Category 3 areas (regional centres and other regional areas): 2 extra years.
• Tasmania: 2 extra years in both categories.
• Moved between categories outside Tasmania: you get the shorter stay.

This stream has no English test and no AFP evidence at lodgement. You still need an AFP check before the visa can be granted.

How does the Australian study requirement work?

The Australian study requirement means at least 2 academic years (92 weeks) of CRICOS-registered study, completed in no less than 16 months in Australia. It applies to the Post-Higher and Post-Vocational streams.

What counts and what does not

• One course of at least 92 weeks counts, or two or more that add up to 92 weeks.
• Courses must be taught in English, in Australia, while you held a visa that let you study.
• Only the CRICOS length counts. A 78-week course counts as 78 weeks, even if you took longer.
• Credits count only where your transcript shows them as part of the award.
• English (ELICOS) courses, failed subjects and study at an overseas campus do not count.

The 6-month window starts on your completion date. That is the day your provider first told you in writing that you had passed everything, not your graduation day. See the Home Affairs study requirement page.

What English score do you need for a 485 visa in 2026?

For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, you need IELTS 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each part, or PTE Academic 55 overall. The test must be taken in the 12 months before you apply.

Source: Home Affairs 485 stream pages, as at 29 October 2026. C1 Advanced is not accepted for tests from 7 August 2025.

Exemptions and special rules

• Citizens with a passport from the UK, the USA, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland don’t need a test.
• Hong Kong and BN(O) passport holders have a lower table, such as IELTS 6.0 with 5.0 in each part, or PTE 47.
• IELTS One Skill Retake results are accepted, as long as the retake is done before you lodge.
• Second Post-Higher Education Work applicants don’t need to show English.

485 visa document checklist: what should you upload?

Upload every document when you lodge, because Home Affairs can decide using only what you attach. Use this 485 visa checklist, grouped by category, to prepare your file.

Identity documents

• Passport pages with your photo, details, and issue and expiry dates.
• National identity card, if you have one.
• Proof of any change of name, such as a marriage or divorce certificate.

Study documents (Post-Higher and Post-Vocational)

• Completion letter showing course start and end dates, completion date, campus location, study load, language of teaching and any distance learning.
• Academic transcripts, including any credits you rely on.
• The completion letter should also say if credit from another course counts toward the study requirement.

English, police check and health insurance

• English test result from the last 12 months, or your exempt passport.
• AFP check receipt for each applicant aged 16 or over, applied for within 12 months and no later than the day before you lodge.
• Form 80 and Form 1221, plus overseas police certificates if Home Affairs asks.
• Health insurance evidence for every applicant, such as a signed insurer letter, policy evidence, or Medicare evidence.

Stream-specific documents

• Post-Vocational: your skills assessment, or proof that you have applied for one.
• Second Post-Higher: proof of 2 years’ regional residence, such as tenancy agreements, utility bills, bank statements or a driver’s licence.
• Second Post-Higher: evidence that any work or study on your first 485 was regional.

Family documents

• Partner: ID and police documents, plus a marriage certificate or proof of a de facto relationship of 12 months or more.
• Children under 18: birth certificates naming both parents, and Form 1229 consent from any parent who is not coming.
• Children over 18: Form 47a and proof that they depend on you for money.

How to prepare them

• Translate any document that is not in English. Translators in Australia must be NAATI-accredited.
• Scan every page in colour, and save each multi-page document as one file.

How much does a 485 visa cost for you and your family?

The 485 visa costs AUD 5,750 for the main applicant in the Post-Higher and Post-Vocational streams, and AUD 2,265 in the Second Post-Higher stream. Each family member adds a separate charge.

Source: Home Affairs visa pricing, as at 29 October 2026. An extra AUD 80 applies if you can’t lodge online.

Other costs to plan for

• Family members added after the visa is granted apply as subsequent entrants and pay the full main-applicant charge.
• Health cover, health exams, biometrics, police certificates, your English test and any skills assessment.
• No Subsequent Temporary Application Charge applies to the 485.
• Eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens pay a lower charge.

For current waiting times by stream, see the 485 processing time guide.

Want your documents checked before you pay AUD 5,750? Book a document review with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738).

Which 485 requirement mistakes lead to refusal?

Most 485 refusals come from timing and paperwork errors made before you lodge. In The Migration’s file reviews, the same few problems come up, and each has a simple fix.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Counting 6 months from the graduation ceremony. Use the date on your completion letter.
• Applying for the AFP check on the day you lodge. Apply at least a day before and save the confirmation page.
• Uploading a state police check. Only the AFP Name Check Only certificate is accepted.
• Using an English test more than 12 months old. Book a new test early if yours is close to that date.
• Picking the wrong stream. It can’t be changed after you lodge, so match it to your course first.
• Letting health cover lapse. Start OVHC before your OSHC ends.
• Holding a “No further stay” condition (8503 or 8534). You can’t apply online, so ask about a waiver first.

The charge is not refunded if the visa is refused. If any point above fits your case, speak with The Migration before you lodge.

How The Migration Helps

The Migration has helped international graduates with Temporary Graduate visas for 7+ years. Its MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738) work through your file in the same order as this guide. You can confirm registration on the MARA register.

• Confirms the stream that gives you the longest stay.
• Checks your completion date, study weeks and credits.
• Reviews your English result, AFP receipt and insurance dates before you pay.
• Lodges for you and your family, and answers any Home Affairs requests.

A common case is a completion letter that leaves out the campus, so the provider has to reissue it before lodging. Fixes like this are easy when found early. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome.

Conclusion

The 485 visa requirements are easier to manage once you know your stream. Check your age, your completion date, your study weeks, your English result and your AFP timing, then build your file from the checklist above.

Once your 485 is granted, the 485 to PR guide explains how your years on it can count toward a skilled visa.

Ready to lodge? Book a 485 consultation with a MARA-registered migration agent (MARN 2518738) to check your requirements and documents before you apply.

Frequently asked questions