New Proposed Changes to the Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa

The Australian Government recently announced changes to the Temporary Graduate visa(subclass 485) programs in its recent Migration Strategy. New Proposed Changes are subject to the passage of legislative amendments. These changes may take effect from 1 July 2024 if legislative amendments have passed.

The main changes of this announcement are listed below:

·       The maximum eligible age reduced to 35 years for both streams

·       Applicants with a degree level qualification or higher will no longer be eligible for Graduate Work stream

·       The ‘select degree’ 2-year extension will cease.

·       The Replacement stream will cease.

·       No changes on Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders

The details of these changes are as below:

Graduate Work stream

-Graduate Work Stream will be renamed to Post-Vocational Education Work Stream

-Applicants must hold an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to their nominated occupation on the (MLTSSL)

-Applicants with a degree level qualification or higher will no longer be eligible for this stream. If an applicant holds one of these qualifications, they must apply through the Post-Higher Education Work stream.

Stay periods will change to the following:

-Visa duration up to 18 months.

Post-Study Work stream

-Post Study Work Stream will be renamed to Post-Higher Education Work stream.

-The ‘select degree’ 2-year extension will cease.

Stay periods will change to the following:

-Bachelor’s degree (including hon's) – up to 2 years

-Masters(coursework and extended) – up to 2 years

-Masters(research) and doctoral degree (PhD) – up to 3 years.

‍Stay periods for Indian nationals only:

Stay periods for Indian nationals, as agreed in the Australian Indian – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), remain as:

-Bachelor’s degree (including hon's) – up to 2 years

-Bachelor’s degree (with first class hon's in STEM, including ICT) – up to 3 years

-Masters(coursework, extended and research) – up to 3 years

-Doctoral degrees (PhD) – up to 4 years.

Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders may be able to stay for up to 5years.

Replacement stream

The Replacement stream will cease.

Second Post-Study Work stream

There are no other changes to this stream.

It is recommended that all eligible applicants lodge their subclass 485 visa application before the new proposed changes take effect from 1 July 2024

If you require any assistance regarding a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) visa. Please feel free to Contact Us

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