GRADUATE VISAS

The Temporary Graduate Visa is for international students that have completed a course in Australia. This visa allows these applicants to prolong their stay in Australia and gain work experience. This visa is usually critical in giving migrants the time that they need to position themselves into a situation where they can apply for permanent residency. 

The Temporary Graduate Visa has two streams – the Graduate Work Stream and the Post-Study Work Stream. The Graduate Work Stream requires the applicant to have completed qualifications that are relevant to fill Australian skill shortages. The Post-Study Work Stream only required applicants to have completed a Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) registered course at a bachelor’s level or above.  

Australian study requirement 

You must demonstrate that you meet ‘Australian study requirement’. You must show that you completed a course that was registered with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). This course must have been completed whilst you held a student visa which allowed you to study that course. Your course must have lasted at least 92 weeks, amongst other requirements. Occasionally you can combine more than one course to meet the Australian Study requirement in certain circumstances. 

Age 

You must be under 50 years of age when you apply for this visa.  

Visa history 

An applicant may be unable to apply for this visa due to their visa history. For example, if you have previously been the primary visa holder of a Temporary Graduate Visa or, in some circumstances, if you have not held a Student Visa within the last 6 months.  

English language requirements 

Applicants are required to meet certain English language requirements, for example by providing evidence that they have achieved and overall score of 6 minimum scores of 5 in any of the four components of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test taken in the previous three years. There are circumstances where applicants will be exempt from providing this evidence (for example, where an applicant holds a passport from the United Kingdom).  

Health Insurance 

Applicants will need to have adequate health insurance coverage for the duration of this visa. Family members that are travelling with the applicant will also need to have adequate health insurance. Your health insurance must meet minimum thresholds, for example the per-person, per-annum benefit must not be less than one million Australian Dollars. Applicants will need to provide evidence of adequate coverage, for example, a certificate of insurance from a valid provider. There are some exceptions to the requirement to provide evidence of adequate health insurance, for example, if the applicant is from Belgium and covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. 

Overseas student health cover is considered sufficient if you hold a current Student Visa at the time that you submit your Temporary Graduate Visa application. However, you must prove you will be covered by adequate health insurance once your Student Visa ceases or before a decision is made on the Temporary Graduate Visa application. 

Other requirements 

Applicants must meet Australian security requirements, debt requirements and health requirements. This means they generally have to provide police clearance certificates from each country they have lived in for a long period (to show they have no serious criminal history) and undertake health examinations to ensure they do not have any illnesses that would negatively impact Australia.   

Applicants may also face complications where they have previously had a visa cancelled, have had a visa expire while in Australia (been unlawful) or previously provided false and misleading information in relation to an application for a visa, amongst other things. 

Have qualifications relevant to Australia’s needs 

Applicants must nominate an occupation that is on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), have a relevant qualification closely related to the selected occupation  

Skills Assessment 

Applicant’s for a 485 visa in the graduate work stream need to obtain a 485 skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority demonstrating that the qualification is closely related to the selected MLTSSL occupation. 

Australian study requirement 

You must demonstrate that you meet ‘Australian study requirement’. You must show that you completed a course that was registered with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). This course must have been completed whilst you held a student visa which allowed you to study that course. Your course must have lasted at least 92 weeks, amongst other requirements. Occasionally you can combine more than one course to meet the Australian Study requirement in certain circumstances. 

Age 

You must be under 50 years of age when you apply for this visa.  

Visa history 

An applicant may be unable to apply for this visa due to their visa history. For example, if you have previously been the primary visa holder of a Temporary Graduate Visa or if your first Student Visa was granted before 5 November 2011.  

Hold an eligible qualification 

After meeting the Australian study requirement, the applicant must have obtained a bachelor’s degree level qualification or above. 

English language requirements 

Applicants are required to meet certain English language requirements, for example by providing evidence that they have achieved and overall score of 6 minimum scores of 5 in any of the four components of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test taken in the previous three years. There are circumstances where applicants will be exempt from providing this evidence (for example, where an applicant holds a passport from the United Kingdom).  

Health Insurance 

Applicants will need to have adequate health insurance coverage for the duration of this visa. Family members that are travelling with the applicant will also need to have adequate health insurance. Your health insurance must meet minimum thresholds, for example the per-person, per-annum benefit must not be less than one million Australian Dollars. Applicants will need to provide evidence of adequate coverage, for example, a certificate of insurance from a valid provider. There are some exceptions to the requirement to provide evidence of adequate health insurance, for example, if the applicant is from Belgium and covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. 

Other requirements 

Applicants must meet Australian security requirements, debt requirements and health requirements. This means they generally have to provide police clearance certificates from each country they have lived in for a long period (to show they have no serious criminal history) and undertake health examinations to ensure they do not have any illnesses that would negatively impact Australia.   

Applicants may also face complications where they have previously had a visa cancelled, have had a visa expire while in Australia (been unlawful) or previously provided false and misleading information in relation to an application for a visa, amongst other things.  

Yes. A husband/wife, de facto partner, dependent child or stepchild of the visa applicant may apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa alongside the primary applicant. A family member may even apply after the Temporary Graduate Visa is granted in some circumstances.  

A few of the common mistakes that we see with this visa include:  

• Not applying for the visa within the required time frame after completing studies;  
• Applying for the incorrect visa stream 
• Not applying for police clearance certificates within the required time frame; 
• Applying to the incorrect skills assessing authority for the Graduate Work Stream; 
• Not discussing pathways and eligibility with sufficient time before the expiry of a current visa; and 
• Using the time in Australia under the Temporary Graduate Visa ineffectively and therefore being unable to link with subsequent visa pathways.  

An application for this visa usually includes the following costs:  

• $1,650 visa application charge;  
• $825 for additional family members over 18;   
• $415 for additional family members under 18;  
• English language test (approx. $340);  
• Health checks (approx. $250 for minimum required checks);  
• Skills assessment application fees;  
• Police checks (approx. $45 in Australia, but overseas checks can vary significantly); and  
• Health insurance.  

The total costs will depend on the circumstances, including the number of family members, visa stream selected, the number of people included in the application and other circumstances.  

Note: the costs above are in Australian Dollars.  

Graduate Work Stream applications can take between 83 days to four months to process. Post-Study Work Stream applications can take between 65 to 75 days to process.  

These processing times are averages only and individual cases can be processed in longer or shorter periods.  

Temporary Graduate Visas in the Graduate Work Stream are usually granted for up to 18 months, whereas Post-Study Work Stream grant periods are between two and four years.  

Temporary Graduate Visas present a valuable opportunity to obtain work experience in Australia, but they can also be one of the first few steps in a longer–term pathway to permanent residency. When planned correctly, Temporary Graduate Visas can link with:  

• Skilled Independent Visas (Subclass 189);  
• Skilled Nominated Visas (Subclass 190);  
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visas (Subclass 491); 
• Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) Visas (Subclass 494); and 
• Temporary Skill Shortage Visas (Subclass 482).  

Many different long-term pathways can be linked with a Temporary Graduate Visa if you have undertaken the necessary planning early in the process to identify suitable visa pathways. 

We can assist you to obtain your Temporary Graduate Visa as part of your pathway to Permanent Residency and Citizenship by:  

• Reviewing your circumstances and providing you with detailed advice about your eligibility for a Temporary Graduate Visa, including the applicable stream that applies to your circumstances;  
• Discuss any complications with your case, highlighting any risks and strategies that can be used to overcome these risks;  
• Provide detailed document checklists so that you provide the best evidence to support your application;  
• Draft all required forms on your behalf, assist in applying for any required skills assessment, police checks, health checks and other visa requirements;  
• Provide a detailed plan to meet your long-term migration goals, all the way to Permanent Residency and Citizenship; and 
• Assist you from preparing the visa, all the way to a decision being made on your application so that if any complications arise, we are there to help and handle any correspondence with the Department of Home Affairs.  

If you are interested in obtaining assistance with your migration matters, the first step is to book a consultation using the link below.