The Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa: Age Limits, Eligible Fields and What a Canadian Graduate Gets

What the 485 Gets You

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets you stay in Australia after finishing your degree, with full-time work rights and no requirement to keep studying. For a Canadian who finished a bachelor's, master's or PhD in Australia, it is the main way to build local work experience, pay down education costs, or explore an employer-sponsored pathway before deciding whether to return home.

How Long You Get, by Qualification

From 1 July 2024, Australia changed the length of stay this visa grants, tightening it from the previous settings. Current stay periods run by qualification level.

Before this change, master's graduates got up to 3 years and PhD graduates up to 4 years, so if you compare against an older source or a friend who graduated earlier, expect a shorter stay under current settings. Confirm the exact period for your qualification and application date on the Department of Home Affairs subclass 485 page before you apply, since settings shift again over time.

Eligibility Runs on Qualification Level, Not Field

Earlier versions of this visa split into separate streams, with one stream open only to graduates whose field of study matched an occupation on a skilled occupation list. Australia's 1 July 2024 reforms moved away from that model. Eligibility for most applicants now depends on completing an eligible CRICOS-registered qualification at the right level, rather than on whether your degree matches a specific in-demand occupation. This is a meaningful change for Canadians who studied something outside the traditional skilled-occupation list, such as arts, humanities or a general science degree, since your field alone no longer disqualifies you the way it once did.

The Age Limit

Home Affairs applies an upper age limit. Since the 1 July 2024 reforms this is under 35 for most applicants, with an exception up to 49 for master's-by-research and PhD graduates and for Hong Kong/BNO passport holders. Confirm the current cutoff before you apply, particularly if you apply later in your degree or after a break between study and application.

Core Requirements

• You completed a CRICOS-registered course while holding a student visa, and your institution notified your course completion to the Department of Home Affairs.

• You apply within 6 months of that course completion notification.

• You held a student visa at some point in the 6 months before you apply.

• You meet health and character requirements, and functional or competent English, depending on the stream.

What to Do With the Time

Full-time work rights on the 485 open options a student visa does not: building a resume with local employers, working toward an employer-sponsored skilled visa such as the subclass 482 or 186 if you want to stay longer, or saving before you return to Canada. If you plan to eventually practice a licensed profession back in Canada (law, medicine, engineering, nursing, teaching), start your Canadian credential recognition process during your 485, not after you land, since assessments through bodies like the National Committee on Accreditation or a provincial regulator take months.

What If You Do Not Qualify

If your qualification, timing or age puts you outside the 485 requirements, other pathways still exist. An employer willing to sponsor you directly pursues a skilled visa such as the subclass 482 on your behalf, though that route depends on finding a sponsoring employer before your student visa expires. Some graduates return to Canada and apply their Australian qualification toward Canadian credential recognition instead of pursuing further stay in Australia. Talk to your university's international student office about your specific situation well before your course completion date, since your options narrow the closer you get to your visa's expiry.

Applying From Onshore

Most Canadian graduates apply for the 485 while still in Australia, using the application to bridge from their expiring student visa rather than leaving and applying from outside the country. Lodge your application before your current visa expires, and a bridging visa keeps your legal status in place while Home Affairs processes your application. Leaving Australia before your 485 is granted puts your application at risk, so confirm your specific timing with a registered migration agent or your institution's visa advisor if your circumstances are not straightforward.

Applying on Time

Set a reminder for the 6-month application window as soon as your institution confirms your course completion. Missing that window means losing eligibility for this visa entirely, with no simple way to reset the clock. Apply while your student visa is still valid or within the 6-month gap the rules allow, and keep copies of your enrolment and completion records in case Home Affairs asks for evidence.