Good news for 485 visa holders!

The Australian government is welcoming back the students to our classrooms, campuses, and communities. Recent changes have been announced by the Australian government for the 485 visa holders that will benefit international students and post-study work visa holders. The major changes for 485 visa holders are that they will be allowed to apply for a replacement visa if they are unable to enter Australia. VET (Vocational Education and Training) graduates will receive 2 years graduate visa instead of 18 months whereas Master’s graduates will be granted 3 years of Post-Study Visa instead of 2 years.  

What are the latest changes for the 485 or graduate visa?

• Starting from December 1, 2021, Australia permanently increased the length of stay for Masters by Coursework graduates from 2 to 3 years like the provisions for Masters by Research graduates. 
• The stay duration of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates to nominate an occupation will be temporarily removed from 1st of July 2022 until 30th of June 2023 and will receive 2 years Graduate visa.

Graduate visa holders who haven’t been able to go back to Australia because of the COVID-19 international travel restriction between 1 February 2020 and 1 December 2021 are able to re-apply for a new graduate visa of the same period as their original graduate visa. These changes show Australia's commitment to improving the settings policy to accommodate the requirements of students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who can apply for a replacement of a 485 visa?

 

• A replacement Temporary Graduate visa is granted for 485 visa holders who lost time in Australia due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and it is also granted for Graduate visa holders who were outside of Australia and unable to return to Australia due to travel restrictions between 1 February 2020 and 1 December 2021.
• The length of the replaced graduate visa will be the same as the original one as per the level of their qualification, disregarding how long was spent in Australia on the original visa.
• The graduate replacement visa applications are allowed to be lodged from both inside and outside of Australia with the full Visa Application Charge.
• The replacement visa is applicable starting from mid-2022

The COVID-19 replacement stream differs from the Second Post Study Workstream, which is currently only open to qualifying regional applicants. The replacement stream is intended to take the place of the Temporary Graduate visa and is only available to those who are affected by the travel limitations.

Should I hold a student visa while studying online from offshore to be eligible for a 485 visa?

The short answer is YES. Students who plan to begin their online studies from another country must apply for a student visa and verify that their Certificate of Enrolment appropriately represents the course start and end dates.

What can you get when holding this visa?

If you hold a 485 visa, you’ll be allowed to temporarily live, study and work in Australia. Members of the family unit can be included in the application, even if they weren't included in the original Temporary Graduate visa. Do you want to know more about studying in Australia? Contact Pace Migration now and call us on 0434 123 123 for a quick chat or email us at [email protected] to book an appointment to have a consultation with our migration agent. Thanks for reading! Pace Migration & Education Consultancy ☎️ (612) 9267 8008 0416570818 / 0452 003 944 [email protected] / [email protected] www.pacemigration.com.au