Australia's Subclass 485 Visa now available to applicants under 50
Highlights: Australia Announces Minimum Age Requirement of 50 Years for Subclass 485 Visa
1. The Australian Department of Home Affairs has announced a minimum age requirement for the Subclass 485 Visa.
2. Applicants under 50 years old will be eligible to apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa program.
3. The two-year extension on Temporary Graduate 485 Visa Streams is set to end.
4. The new changes for the Subclass 485 Visa will take effect from July 1, 2024.
Changes in the Age Requirement for Subclass 485 Visa
The Australian Department of Home Affairs has recently set the minimum age requirement for a Subclass 485 Visa to 50 years. Candidates under 50 years old can apply for post-study work visas in Australia.
Initially, the plan was to lower the age limit to 35 years, except for Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders. However, the department decided to maintain the 50-year age limit to avoid impacting the Post-Higher Education Work Stream negatively.
The new guidelines allow Master's (research) and doctoral degree (PhD) students, as well as Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders under 50 years old, to apply for the Subclass 485 Visa. This decision supports the government's goal of attracting foreign students while balancing the age requirements for students.
Note: The 35-year age limit still applies to Master’s, Bachelor's, or graduates with associate degrees or vocational programs.
Post-Study Work Rights in Australia
The Australian government offers the following post-study work rights:
1. 2 years for Bachelor’s Degree (no change)
2. 2 years for Master's by coursework (reduced from 3 years)
3. 3 years for Master’s by research (no change)
4. 3 years for PhD (reduced from 4 years)
Other Changes to the Temporary Graduate Visa Program
The Australian Department of Home Affairs has renamed certain streams under the Temporary Graduate Visa Program.
|
Current Name |
New Name |
|
Post Study Work Stream |
Post-higher Education Work Stream |
|
Second Post-Study Work Stream |
Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream |
|
Graduate Work Stream |
Post-Vocational Education Work Stream |
Additionally, the two-year extension introduced in 2022 will be discontinued. However, there are no changes to the eligibility criteria for the Subclass 485 Visa.