Live, study and work in Australia after completing your studies — the post-study pathway for international graduates
The Post-Vocational Education Work stream is for international graduates of Australian diploma, trade, and associate degree qualifications linked to an occupation on the skilled occupation list. It's the post-study pathway for trade-qualified graduates like electricians, plumbers, chefs, and automotive technicians, and for graduates of associate-degree-level vocational programs.
Applicants need a positive skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for the nominated occupation. Trade qualifications are typically assessed by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). VETASSESS handles many non-trade vocational occupations.
The visa grants up to 18 months of full work and study rights. There's no employer sponsorship requirement and no occupation lock once granted, so you can take any job after grant.
Hong Kong and BNO passport holders get up to 5 years in this stream. From 1 March 2026, a reduced application charge applies to Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.
The stream is locked once chosen at lodgement. If your qualification could fit either Post-Vocational or Post-Higher Education, confirm the right one before you lodge.
These are the published requirements for the 485. Check each one applies to your situation.
Three significant tightenings landed on the same day, and a fourth shortened the time you can stay.
The age cap dropped from 50 to 35, with limited exceptions for Hong Kong, BNO, Masters-research, and PhD holders. The English requirement rose from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 (or the equivalent on other approved tests). And test result validity shortened from 3 years to 1 year, which means many graduates who sat IELTS during their studies now have to re-sit before lodgement.
On top of all that, the duration of stay was reduced across some qualification levels.
If your study plan was built around the pre-July 2024 rules, every assumption needs a re-check against the current eligibility framework. The visa you thought you had access to may not exist in the same form anymore.
Under the Australia India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, Indian nationals get extended Post-Higher Education stay durations: 2 years for a standard bachelor, 3 years for a first-class-honours STEM bachelor, 3 years for any Masters (coursework, extended, or research), and 4 years for a doctoral degree.
This is one of the strongest single-nationality concessions in the Australian skilled migration framework. The extra year (or two) makes a real difference to the points-and-experience window before applying for the 189, 190, or 491.
The Hong Kong and BNO 5-year stay sits alongside this for similar policy reasons in a separate context.
A common misunderstanding: the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream isn't available to all 485 holders.
It's restricted to applicants who completed their original eligible study at an Australian institution in a designated regional area, AND who hold a current Post-Higher Education Work, Post-Study Work, or Replacement Temporary Graduate visa.
Graduates of Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane CBD institutions cannot apply for a Second 485, no matter how regional their subsequent life has been. The location of the original institution is what counts.
The duration of the Second 485 depends on two things: how regional the original institution was (Category 2 or Category 3), and where you live during the Second 485 period.
The 485 is not extendable.
If you reach the end of your grant without securing a permanent visa or another temporary visa, you have to depart Australia. The permanent options on the table are the 189, 190, 491, 186, and 858. The temporary options are the 482 Skills in Demand visa and a fresh 500 Student visa.
The only same-subclass continuation is the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, and that's regional-graduates-only.
Planning the post-485 step needs to start well before grant expiry, typically in year 1 of a 2-year visa. The reason: skills assessments, English tests, and state nomination processes can each take 12 months or more to complete, and you'll often need more than one of them in flight at the same time.
Must secure state or territory nomination and accumulate enough points
