Many international students about to graduate from studying in Australia are keen to stay here. But can they?

If you’d like to know the answer, this overview is for you! You’ll learn about the visa options that allow you to stay in Australia, either temporarily or permanently.

Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is the most common pathway for international students who’ve finished their Australian studies. 

Eligible graduates can live, work and study here on a temporary basis to gain work experience. This can be especially valuable if you want to apply for skilled migration later. It can help you meet the points test for employment or secure employer sponsorship.

The visa has three streams:

1. Post-Vocational Education work stream (associate degree, diploma or trade qualification)
2. Post-Higher Education Work stream (bachelors, masters or doctoral qualification)
3. Second Post-Higher Education Work stream (bachelors, masters or doctoral qualification in regional area)

Let’s look at the key requirements and length of stay for each one:

Post-Vocational Education work stream (associate degree, diploma or trade qualification)

• Be under 35 years of age 
• Hold an eligible visa at the time of application
• Have completed an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification for a job on the skilled occupation list in the past 6 months 

Note: Your skills must be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as suitable for the nominated occupation.

• Have adequate health insurance when you apply
• Meet English language, health, and character requirements
• Stay up to 18 months

Post-Higher Education Work stream (bachelors, masters or doctoral)

• Be under 35 years of age 
• Hold an eligible visa at the time of application
• Have completed a degree in a CRICOS-registered course in the past 6 months 
• Have adequate health insurance when you apply
• Meet English language, health, and character requirements
• Stay between 2–3 years, depending on your graduate qualification level

Second Post-Higher Education Work stream (bachelors, masters or doctoral qualification in regional area)

• Be under 35 years of age 
• Hold an eligible visa at the time of application (a Temporary Graduate visa in the Post-Higher Education Work stream or Post-Study Work stream)
• Have completed a degree in a CRICOS-registered course in the past 6 months in an eligible designated regional area
• Have lived in an eligible designated regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying for your Second Temporary Graduate visa
• Have adequate health insurance when you apply
• Meet English language, health, and character requirements
• Can stay 1 year if you live in a Category 2 area, 2 years if you live in a Category 3 area

Skills in Demand (SID) visa (subclass 482)

This visa allows Australian employers to sponsor skilled workers to fill positions experiencing a labour shortage. For international students who are graduating, this visa is a strong option if you secure a role with an employer willing to sponsor you. What’s even better is this visa can be a pathway to permanent Australian residency.

The SID subclass 482 has three streams and eligibility requirements differ slightly across each one. As specialists in employer-sponsored visas, we have created a comprehensive SID article that provides a detailed overview of this. 

Generally, what all streams have in common is that you need to be:

1. Sponsored by an Australian employer
2. Work in a role on the relevant skilled occupation list
3. Meet English language, health, and character requirements

You can stay up to 4 years. 

Skilled migration visas (subclass 189, subclass 190 and subclass 491)

Skilled migration visas offer a pathway to permanent Australian residency for workers with in-demand skills. There are three skilled visas:

1. Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 (permanent stay)
2. Skilled Nominated visa subclass 190 (permanent stay)
3. Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa subclass 491 (provisional stay)

These visas are points-tested and are based on factors such as age, qualifications, work experience, English ability and occupation. As a graduate, you’ll likely score pretty high on some of these factors (like age and English), but you may struggle with the work experience part. Typically, these visas go to established skilled professionals first.

They all have standard health and character requirements, but let’s take a look at the eligibility for each one in more detail:

Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 (permanent stay)

The subclass 189 visa focuses on being independent, which means you don’t need anyone to sponsor you. You can also live anywhere in Australia permanently. It’s naturally quite competitive to get one. 

Requirements:

• Be under 45
• Your job qualification is on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills list (MLTSSL)
• You successfully complete a skills assessment
• Score 65+ points (based on things like your age, English proficiency, qualifications etc.)
• While you don’t need a sponsor, you must be invited to apply by the government by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) outlining your work experience, qualifications etc. 

Skilled Nominated visa subclass 190 (permanent stay)

The subclass 190 visa is very similar to the subclass 189 with these important differences:

1. You need to be nominated by an Australian state or territory government

2. While you can stay permanently, you need to commit to living and working in that state or territory for a minimum 2 years

3. Your occupation must be on the Medium and Long-Term Strategic Skills list (MLTSSL) or 

the Short-Term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL). BUT it must also be on the state or territory’s occupation list at the time of applying

4. The submission process involves submitting an EOI first, and then a registration of interest (ROI) with the relevant state or territory 

Requirements:

• Be under 45
• Your job qualification is on the relevant skilled occupation list
• You successfully complete a skills assessment
• Score 65+ points (based on things like your age, English proficiency, qualifications etc.)
• While you don’t need a sponsor, you must be invited to apply by the government by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) outlining your work experience, qualifications etc. 

Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) subclass 491 (provisional stay)

If you want to live and work in regional Australia, the subclass 491 visa can be a good option. Keep in mind though, it’s still a points-tested visa that values work experience. 

Interestingly, while the points threshold remains the same (65+), reaching it can be a little easier for international students who are graduating. This is because you get a 15-point boost from state nomination or family sponsorship. 

Unlike the permanent visas (189/190), the subclass 491 only allows you to stay and work in Australia for 5 years. You must also live and work in a designated regional area.

Requirements:

• Be under 45
• Your job qualification is on the relevant skilled occupation list
• You successfully complete a skills assessment
• Score 65+ points (based on things like your age, English proficiency, qualifications etc.)
• You need to be nominated by the state or territory in which you live and work, OR by an eligible Australian relative who lives in a regional location
• You hold the subclass 491 for 3 years before you can apply for a permanent residency visa
• Stay up to 5 years

Training visa (subclass 407)

If you’re concerned your lack of work experience may affect your chances of securing a skilled work visa, the subclass 407 could help. It allows you to take part in workplace-based training to improve your skills, and you can stay in Australia for up to 2 years on this visa.

Requirements:

• Meet health, character and English requirements
• Hold health insurance
• Be sponsored by an approved temporary activities sponsor who has lodged a nomination for you

Which one should I go for?

As you can see, there are a range of visa pathways for international students who are graduating. But which one is right for your situation? Figuring that out can be overwhelming.

Here at Migration Ways, we’ve helped many students in your situation. Most often, graduates start with the Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485 to build up some local work experience and points. 
But as every situation is unique, it’s important to get tailored advice. And that’s something we can help with. Please connect with one of our migration experts to find out what option is the best for you and your dreams of remaining here in Australia.