Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa - who is exempt from the reduced age limit of 35 years of age?
Following the Australian Government’s announcement that the age limit for Subclass 485 Visa applications will be reduced to 35 years of age from 1 July 2024 onward, the Department has now updated its website to confirm that Masters (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) graduates and Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders will still be eligible if they are under 50 years of age.
This means that from 1 July 2024 onward, apart from the following cohorts of applicants, all Subclass 485 Visa applicants will still need to be 35 years of age or under at the time of application to be eligible for the grant of a Subclass 485 Visa:
Masters degree by research graduates
Doctoral degree (PhD) graduates
Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders
As discussed in our previous blog post about the proposed changes to the Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa Program, the validity periods* for the Subclass 485 Visa will be as follows:
Post-Vocational Education Work stream (former Graduate Work stream): 18 months
Post-Higher Education Work stream (former Post-Study Work stream):
Bachelor degree (including honours) – up to 2 years
Masters (coursework and extended) – up to 2 years
Masters (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) – up to 3 years.
*Longer stay periods will apply to
Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders who may stay for up to 5 years; and
Indian nationals (as agreed in the Australia India – Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA)) who may stay for:
Bachelor degree (including honours) – up to 2 years
Bachelor degree (with first class honours in STEM, including ICT) – up to 3 years
Masters (coursework, extended and research) – up to 3 years
Doctoral degrees (PhD) – up to 4 years.
Should you wish to discuss your eligibility for a Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa, please email info@inclusivemigration.com.au or submit an enquiry via the contact form on our website.
