485 Visa in 2026: What Changed, Requirements, Cost and the Second 485
A Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa lets international students stay in Australia to live, work and study after finishing an Australian qualification. In 2026 it changed in two ways. First, the main applicant's charge rose from $2,300 to $5,750 in two steps, on 1 March and 1 July. And since late September, a 485 holder can't lodge a student (subclass 500) visa application from inside Australia.
What hasn't changed is who qualifies. Age limit, English scores, six-month window after you finish and stay periods are all the same as at the start of the year. So if you've seen talk of "new 485 rules", it's the cost and your options afterwards that moved, not the eligibility test. Two bigger changes have been announced but aren't law yet, and we cover both below.
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What changed for the 485 in 2026
| Date | What changed | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 March 2026 | The visa application charge doubled. A first 485 went from $2,300 to $4,600 for the main applicant, and a second 485 from $905 to $1,810. | Everyone except applicants whose main applicant holds a passport from a listed Pacific country or Timor-Leste, who kept the old amounts |
| 1 July 2026 | A 25% increase to most visa application charges took the first 485 to $5,750 and the second 485 to $2,265. | The same group. Pacific and Timor-Leste passport holders had a 2.6% indexation increase instead |
| Late September 2026 | 485 holders can no longer lodge a student visa application while in Australia. They have to apply from outside Australia. | Anyone holding a 485, in any stream, who wants to go back to study |
March's increase was a deliberate doubling, made by regulations that took effect on 1 March 2026. Its explanatory statement describes a 100 per cent increase for all applicants except those whose main applicant holds a passport from one of 12 Pacific countries or Timor-Leste. July's rise was part of a 25% increase applied to most visa charges from 1 July 2026.
Worked example: a first 485 with one adult family member now costs $5,750 plus $2,875, or $8,625, before health checks, police certificates and insurance. Lodged in February 2026, the same application cost $2,300 plus $1,150, or $3,450.
Don't underestimate the student visa bar. Before late September, a 485 holder could lodge a student visa application in Australia. Now you'd have to leave Australia to lodge it. Our post on the October 2026 student visa changes covers the full list of visas this applies to.
Announced, but not law yet: family members and the 485's future
The Government's announcement. On 17 September 2026, the Minister for Immigration told the National Press Club the Government would stop "the attaching of family members for international students or for graduate visas". The Minister said:
- people already in Australia with family attached to their visa won't be affected
- exceptions will remain for students from the Pacific and ASEAN nations, and for certain courses such as PhDs
Half of that is already law. Since 2 October 2026, most student visa applicants can no longer include their partner or children. The graduate visa half isn't. As at 14 October 2026 the 485 rules are unchanged, family members can still be included in a 485 application, and no start date for the change has been announced.
The Coalition's policy. On 6 October 2026 the Liberals and Nationals released a migration plan stating they would abolish Temporary Graduate visas. Under that plan, students completing PhDs, studying health or education, or studying at regional universities would instead have access to post-study transitional visas. It's opposition policy. It would only change the law if the Coalition formed government and implemented it.
If your plans depend on a partner joining you on a 485, know where the law stands. Until the Government makes the change, family members can still be included in a 485 application. When it does, the change will apply from the date, and on the transitional terms, that the amending regulations set out, and nothing announced so far says what those will be.
Who can apply for a 485
A first 485 has two streams open to new applicants, and some regional graduates can get a second visa. You choose one stream when you apply and can't switch later.
- Post-Higher Education Work stream: for graduates of a bachelor degree or higher from an Australian institution.
- Post-Vocational Education Work stream: for graduates of an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification that's closely related to an occupation on the skilled occupation list for this stream. You must also have applied for a skills assessment in that occupation when you lodge, and the assessment has to be suitable by the time it's decided.
Both streams share the core requirements. You must:
- be 35 or younger when you apply, or under 50 if you hold a Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport or have completed a masters by research or a doctorate
- be in Australia when you apply, according to the Department, and have held a student visa in the 6 months before applying
- have completed your qualification in the 6 months before applying, from a CRICOS-registered course taught in English that took at least 2 academic years and at least 16 calendar months, studied in Australia on a visa that let you study
- include evidence of your English test, evidence that you, and everyone 16 or older in the application, applied for an Australian Federal Police check in the 12 months before you apply, and evidence of health insurance for everyone in the application
Note the six-month window. It runs from when you complete your course, not from your graduation ceremony.
English scores for the 485
You need the score in a single test taken in the year before you apply. Citizens holding a passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States are exempt.
| Test | Overall score | Minimum in each part |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training | 6.5 | 5.5 in listening, reading, writing and speaking |
| PTE Academic | 55 | Listening 40, reading 42, writing 41, speaking 39 |
| TOEFL iBT | 81 | Listening 12, reading 12, writing 14, speaking 17 |
| CELPIP General | 8 | 6 in each part |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 67 | Listening 49, reading 54, writing 56, speaking 62 |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | 58 | Listening 53, reading 51, writing 51, speaking 43 |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | 1310 | Listening 260, reading 280, writing 260, speaking 310 |
Cambridge C1 Advanced isn't accepted for the 485. Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders have a separate, lower set of scores (6.0 overall in IELTS, for example). Our English test guide compares these tests across other visas.
How long you can stay on a 485
| Your stream and qualification | How long you can stay |
|---|---|
| Post-Higher Education Work: bachelor degree, including honours | 2 years |
| Post-Higher Education Work: graduate diploma | 2 years by default, or longer if your earlier study would have qualified for a longer stay |
| Post-Higher Education Work: masters by coursework or extended masters | 2 years |
| Post-Higher Education Work: masters by research or doctoral degree | 3 years |
| Post-Vocational Education Work: associate degree, diploma or trade qualification | Up to 18 months |
| Second Post-Higher Education Work: studied and living in a Category 2 regional area | 1 year |
| Second Post-Higher Education Work: studied and living in a Category 3 regional area | 2 years |
| Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders | Up to 5 years |
Indian nationals get longer Post-Higher Education Work stays under the Australia India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement:
- bachelor degree, including honours: 2 years
- bachelor degree with first class honours in STEM, including ICT: 3 years
- masters by coursework, extended or research: 3 years
- doctorate: 4 years
There's no extension. When a 485 ends, you need another visa or you need to leave.
How much the 485 costs
These are the charges set by the Migration Regulations from 1 July 2026. There's no second instalment.
| Who is applying | Main applicant | Each additional applicant 18 or over | Each additional applicant under 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 485 (all other passports) | $5,750 | $2,875 | $1,450 |
| First 485, main applicant has a Pacific or Timor-Leste passport | $2,360 | $1,180 | $595 |
| Second 485 (Post-Higher Education Work, already holding one) | $2,265 | $1,140 | $575 |
| Second 485, main applicant has a Pacific or Timor-Leste passport | $930 | $465 | $235 |
Those Pacific countries are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, plus Timor-Leste. On top of the charge, budget for health examinations, police checks and health insurance. Home Affairs updated its health insurance guidance on 6 October 2026, and every 485 carries condition 8501, which requires you to keep adequate health insurance while you're in Australia.
The second 485 for regional graduates
Only people whose first 485 came from study at a regional campus can get a second Post-Higher Education Work visa. According to the Department, you must:
- hold a 485 in the Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Study Work or Replacement stream, and have held one in the Post-Higher Education Work or Post-Study Work stream as the main applicant
- have a CRICOS-registered degree from an institution in an eligible designated regional area, and that degree led to your first 485
- have lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying for the second visa
You don't need a new English test or police check for the second visa. There's a trade-off after grant. Condition 8610 requires you to live, work and study only in a regional area for as long as you're in Australia on that visa. Which kind of regional area depends on the rule you qualified under. If you studied and live in a Category 2 area, such as Perth, Adelaide or Canberra, the Department says you get 1 year. Category 3 areas get 2 years. Tasmania has listed exceptions.
Does a 485 lead to permanent residence?
Not by itself. It's a temporary visa with no pathway built in, except that the Department says current and future Hong Kong 485 holders may have a pathway to permanent residency after 5 years.
What it gives you is time: time to build skilled work experience, sit a better English test or get a skills assessment before applying for a skilled visa or an employer-sponsored visa. Two traps sit here. A skills assessment issued for the 485 can't be used for the points-tested skilled visas or the regional employer-sponsored visa, as our post on skills assessment validity explains. And going back to a student visa now means applying from overseas.
Processing is quick for degree graduates. According to the Department's processing time guide, 50% of Post-Higher Education Work applications are decided in 5 days and 90% in 55 days. Post-Vocational Education Work applications take longer: 50% in 52 days and 90% in 5 months. Plan for the 90% figure, not the 50%, especially if your student visa is about to end.
FAQ
What are the new rules for the 485 visa in 2026?
The eligibility rules haven't changed in 2026, but the cost and the student visa option have. The main applicant's charge rose from $2,300 to $4,600 on 1 March 2026 and to $5,750 on 1 July 2026. Since late September 2026, 485 holders can't lodge a student visa application from inside Australia. The Government has also announced, but not yet legislated, an end to family members on graduate visas.
How much does a 485 visa cost in 2026?
$5,750 for the main applicant in a first 485, plus $2,875 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and $1,450 for each under 18. A second 485 costs $2,265 for the main applicant. Lower amounts apply where the main applicant holds a passport from a listed Pacific country or Timor-Leste.
How long is a temporary graduate visa 485?
It depends on the stream and qualification. Post-Higher Education Work gives 2 years for a bachelor or coursework masters and 3 years for a research masters or doctorate. Post-Vocational Education Work gives up to 18 months. Indian nationals and Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders can get longer.
What is the PTE requirement for a 485 visa?
PTE Academic 55 overall, with at least 40 in listening, 42 in reading, 41 in writing and 39 in speaking, achieved in the year before you apply. Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders have lower scores, and citizens of Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the US don't need a test.
Is a 485 visa full working rights?
Yes. A 485 has no limit on the hours you can work. Every 485 carries condition 8501, which requires adequate health insurance, and a second 485 for regional graduates also carries condition 8610, which limits where you can live, work and study. You can check your own conditions in VEVO.
Which police check is required for a 485 visa?
An Australian Federal Police check. Your application must include evidence that you, and each person 16 or older in it, applied for an AFP check in the 12 months before you lodged. Applicants for a second 485 under the regional rules don't need this evidence.
Does a 485 visa lead to PR?
Not directly. It's a temporary visa that can't be extended and has no permanent pathway of its own, except the one the Department describes for Hong Kong holders after 5 years. It gives you time to qualify for a points-tested skilled visa or employer sponsorship, if you meet that visa's requirements.
Who is eligible for the second 485 visa?
It's for regional graduates whose first Post-Higher Education Work or Post-Study Work 485 came from a degree at an institution in an eligible designated regional area. You also need to have lived in an eligible regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying, still hold a 485 and be 35 or under, unless an age exception applies.
Want your 485 application checked before you pay $5,750? Book a consultation. Our permanent residency planning service maps out what comes after the 485, before the clock starts.
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