7 minsA prerequisite for working in any major study abroad destination is to have a work visa or the post-study work visa. The post-study work visa is usually a temporary visa that will give a buffer time for international students to decide their next course of action after completing their studies. Australia is one of the top preferred destinations for studies and work. Thousands of Indians migrate to Australia for work every year and several of them gain permanent residency. Currently, more than 6.5 lakh Indian born people are living in Australia, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Migration Australia.
If you are an international student in Australia and you would like to get to know the work culture and have some international work experience, you should be aware of the post-study work visa in Australia.
Here’s what we have covered in this article:
- What is a TR visa in Australia?
- Which stream of the 485 visa in Australia should you apply for?
- What are the documents to be submitted while applying for the TR visa in Australia?
- How to apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485?
- Is the 485 visa a temporary visa?
- How long is the 485 visa in Australia valid for?
- What is the processing time for the Temporary Graduate Visas?
- How much should you pay while applying for this visa?
- When is the best time to apply for this visa?
- What are the pandemic-related relaxations and updates to the rules surrounding this visa?
If you are just exploring your study abroad options in Australia, you might be interested in knowing more about the country, its popular student cities and top-ranking institutions there. Head to our article to learn more about Australia and its universities.
1. What is a TR Visa in Australia?
The post-study work visa in Australia is called the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485 or more popularly known as the TR visa Australia. It is a visa that allows international students to be in the country after completing their studies. Wondering why there’s a need for a temporary visa? Graduates might choose to continue with higher studies or look for employment after completing their courses.
The study visa allows students to be in the country during their course duration. For courses that are 10 months or longer, the visa stay period is generally extended for a period of 2 months longer than the course. Beyond this period, if you would like to stay in the country, you will need another valid visa. The temporary graduate visa or the tr visa in Australia will ensure you have the right to stay in the country.
2. Which stream of the 485 visa in Australia should you apply for?
There are 3 main streams of the tr visa in Australia:
- The Graduate Work Stream
- The Post-Study Work Stream, and
- The Second Post-Study Work Stream
There are some common prerequisites for applying for this visa and there are some specific requirements based on the visa stream selected. Let’s explore the details:
Requirements that are generic for all streams of the TR visa, Australia
- You should be below 50 years of age
- You should have a valid visa and you should hold/have held a student visa in the last 6 months
- You should have adequate health insurance. An Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) will provide the necessary health insurance cover.
- You should have the required English skills.
2.1.The Graduate Work Stream
- This visa is for graduates who have a qualification that is relevant to any occupation listed in the Skilled Occupation List. (It is a list of jobs for which there is a scarcity of people with the right skills)
- You can live, study and work in Australia with this 485 visa
- You are also eligible to bring your family members to the country
- There is no travel restriction. You can leave and re-enter the country as many times as you want.
Things to keep in mind while applying for this visa stream:
- You should have applied for skill assessment to check whether your skills match the skills required for the specific occupation.
- This visa does not guarantee that the government will assign a job to you. It will be your responsibility to find a job.
- You must be inside Australia at the time of application and granting of the visa. However, there are concessions for individuals impacted by the pandemic restrictions.
- Your course should have been at least 2 years (92 weeks) long, technically. It should have taken a minimum of 16 calendar months to complete the course.
- Since this visa is based on the country’s skills requirement, you should nominate an occupation at the time of visa application.
The Australian government maintains a list of occupations for which there is a skills shortage. Check out our article to understand which are some of the relevant courses you can study to match the skills in demand in Australia. For example, studying MBA in Australia will help you sharpen the skills needed to become a Management Consultant in Australia.
2.2.The Post-Study Work Stream or the Post-Study Work visa in Australia
- This 485 visa is for international graduates who have a recent degree in any CRICOS-registered courses in Australia. CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
- Under this stream too, you can live, work and study in Australia, but temporarily.
- You can bring your family members
Things to keep in mind while applying for this visa:
- You should have received your student visa after 5 November 2011.
- Your course should have been at least 2 years (92 weeks) long, technically. It should have taken a minimum of 16 calendar months to complete the course.
2.3.The Second Post-Study Work Stream
Things to keep in mind while you apply for this visa:
- The place you live and work is important with this type of visa. You should be in an area that is on the list of designated regional areas. Your degree should be from an institution in such a designated regional area. You should have lived in this area for 2 years before you apply for the Second Post-Study Work visa.
- You should be in Australia at the time of application
- You should hold a Temporary Graduate Visa Post-Study Work stream when you apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa Second Post-Study Work stream.
- You and your family members should have adequate health insurance coverage.
3. What are the documents to be submitted while applying for the TR visa in Australia?
Documents proving your educational qualifications, English language skills, identity etc are mandatory.
- As an identification document, you can submit your passport which has your photo and personal details.
- Your university will provide you with a completion letter once your course is completed. You should submit this along with a copy of your course transcripts.
- Your proof of English language proficiency should not be more than 3 years old. IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE Academic are some of the accepted English language test scores. Did you know that there is an option to take the IELTS test online?
- If you are applying for the Graduate Stream, you should also submit proof of skills assessment.
- Health insurance documents such as a Medicare card
- Proof that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check. This should not be older than 12 months.
- Family members accompanying you should also submit several proofs, such as proof of identity, character, health insurance and birth certificates for family members younger than 18 years.
- Remember that if any of these documents are not in English, you will have to get them translated.
For the complete list of requirements and specifications, please ensure to check the information given on the Australian Government’s website.
4. How to apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485?
The application can be made online.
You should first create an ImmiAccount. This is a fairly straight forward step, asking for details such as your name, email address, phone number etc and you will have to create a unsername and password. The steps are explained in detail on the Immigration HomeAffairs website.
You can login later to initiate an application. There are options to save an application mid away and come back to it later. You can also copy, share, send or remove an application. You can attach up to 60 documents to support your application. Make sure the file sizes adhere to the requirements.
Once you complete your application, you can continue accessing your ImmiAccount to look for updates, check for application status, inform the Home Affairs department of any changes or updates or even withdraw your application.
5. Is the 485 visa a temporary visa?
Yes, as the name suggests, the post-study work visa is a temporary visa. The visa has different streams, each allowing applicants to stay in the country temporarily, for a fixed period.
6. How long is the 485 visa in Australia valid for?
So how long is the post-study work visa in Australia? The validity of the visa will depend upon the qualification you hold and the stream of temporary graduate visa you have applied for.
- The Graduate Work stream allows international students to stay in Australia for up to 18 months after completing their course.
- The Post-Study Work stream allows graduates to be in the country between 2 years and 4 years.
- The Second Post-Study Work stream allows you to stay in Australia for between 1 and 2 years.
7. What is the processing time for the Temporary Graduate Visas?
Graduate Work stream visa processing will take between 10 and 13 months. The Post-Study Work stream visa will take anywhere between 7 and 14 months to process, according to the Department of Home Affairs website of the Australian government.
8. How much should you pay while applying for this visa?
The cost of the Temporary Graduate Visa Graduate Work stream and the Post-Study Work stream starts from approximately AUD 1,680. This is around 92,000 rupees. The Second Post-Study Work stream will cost you around AUD 660. (around 36,000 rupees).
Remember that this amount is the cost of the visa only. There might be additional expenses for health checks, police certificates, and biometrics collection.
9. When should you apply for this visa?
International students should apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa within 6 months of course completion. The government suggests applying for this visa as soon as your university confirms the completion of your course.
However, your student visa might expire before you are granted the Temporary Graduate Visa. If this is the case, you can apply for a bridging visa so that you have a valid visa at the time of application. Note that you cannot stay in the country without a valid visa at any point.
Australia has some of the top-ranking institutions in the world as per the most popular world university rankings. Check out the universities in Australia!
10. What are the pandemic-related relaxations and updates to the rules surrounding this visa?
If you completed your studies outside Australia and are affected by travel restrictions, you are still eligible to apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa. However, you should hold or have held a valid student visa.
The duration of the Graduate Work Stream visa has been temporarily extended to 24 months for visas granted from 1 December 2021.
Student visa holders who are currently outside Australia will be able to use their study duration to count toward the requirements for post-study work visa.
Hope this article gave you a good idea about the temporary graduate visa and how to go about submitting the application. We hope you enjoy your stay in Australia and make the best use of it.
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