Student visa 500 and Temporary Graduate 485: key rules

What does the Student visa require?

A primary Student visa (subclass 500) applicant must, as a general rule, be enrolled in a course of study when the visa is decided. For most applicants that means a full-time registered course on the CRICOS register. The application must include a valid confirmation of enrolment number for each intended course.

Every primary applicant must be a genuine student: Home Affairs looks at your circumstances, immigration history, intention to comply with visa conditions and any other relevant matter. This applies to applications lodged on or after 2024-03-23.

Home Affairs states that a possible later wish to apply for permanent residence does not count against you under this requirement.

How long can I stay on a Student visa?

The length of stay is tied to your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) period, which must at least cover the course length. The visa end date cannot be changed once granted, and the maximum stay will generally not exceed 6 years.

As of 2026-05, for a course of 10 months or longer that finishes between January and October, the visa usually runs 2 months past the course; for a course shorter than 10 months, 1 month. If a course of 10 months or longer finishes at the end of the academic year, the visa usually runs into the following year.

Postgraduate research students usually get 6 months more than the standard period so they can stay while their thesis is marked. Tertiary students generally get no more than 5 years, though a package of courses showing clear progression can be granted up to 6 years.

How many hours can I work, and what must I keep up?

While your course is in session you may work up to 48 hours per fortnight (condition 8105). A fortnight is the 14-day period that begins on a Monday. The limit does not apply to work that is a requirement of the course as recorded on CRICOS, or to masters-by-research and doctoral students once they have started that degree.

A primary Student visa holder must not work before the course starts, unless, when applying, they held a visa that allowed work and were permitted to work. Condition 8202 requires most holders to stay enrolled in a full-time registered course at the same or a higher AQF level, and it is breached if the education provider certifies unsatisfactory course progress or attendance.

What does it cost, and what funds must I show?

As of 2026-10, the standard first-instalment charge for a Student visa is AUD 2,500 for the primary applicant, AUD 1,530 for each added adult and AUD 500 for each added child. A reduced AUD 2,050 applies to passports from 10 listed Southeast Asian countries, and to ELICOS or non-award applicants without a Pacific-regional or listed passport.

A primary applicant staying 12 months or more must show funds for annual living costs of AUD 29,710, plus travel costs and the course fees for the first 12 months, less amounts already paid. For each accompanying family member, the test adds AUD 10,394 a year for a spouse or de facto partner and AUD 4,449 for a dependent child (figures from 2024-05).

From 2026-10-02, new rules limit who can apply for a Student visa while in Australia, and whether family members can be included. Holders of the 485, 482, 417, 462 and 600 visas cannot apply for a Student visa from inside Australia.

Who can get the Temporary Graduate (485) visa?

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is a temporary visa that lets international students live, study and work in Australia after they finish studying. The Replacement stream is closed to new applicants. Counting the visa being applied for, a person cannot hold more than 4 Temporary Graduate visas in total.

A primary 485 applicant must be 35 or younger. The limit is under 50 for Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders and for masters-by-research or doctorate graduates. You must hold an eligible student visa, or hold a bridging A or B visa or another substantive visa and have held an eligible student visa in the 6 months before applying. An applicant for a subsequent Post-Higher Education Work visa can instead hold a Post-Study Work or Post-Higher Education Work 485.

In the Post-Higher Education Work stream, a first-time applicant must have completed degrees at Australian institutions in the 6 months before applying. The study must total at least 16 calendar months and 2 academic years, in registered courses. This does not apply to applicants who meet the regional clauses 485.232 to 485.235.

485: vocational stream, English and length of stay

The Post-Vocational Education Work stream needs an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification completed in the 6 months before applying and closely related to the nominated skilled occupation.

In the Post-Vocational and Post-Higher Education Work streams the English score must be from the 1 year before the application. Under the instrument in force from 2025-08-07, IELTS needs an average of 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component; other tests have their own minimums. Citizens of Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States with a valid passport need no test.

Study Australia says Post-Higher Education Work usually runs 2 to 3 years depending on the qualification, Post-Vocational Education Work up to 18 months, and Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders may stay 5 years.