Covid 19 Australia Updates Rules For Temporary Graduate Visa Application

Immigration Minister Alan Tudge announced “COVID-19 Concessions” to Migration Regulations 1994 to aid visa holders stranded outside Australia effective Sept 19, 2020. This includes concessions for those applying for the Subclass 485 and Subclass 887 visas, aimed at international graduates and skilled workers respectively.

Although, the Australian government began granting student visas again in July but has yet to welcome international students back since it enforced COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, those who study online remotely can still apply for and receive a Temporary Graduate visa from outside Australia. This post-study work visa is a major pull for international students to pursue higher education in the country.

Here’s a closer look at the updates for Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa applicants :

Post Study Workstream

This visa is for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution studying for more than two consecutive years. It lets you live, work and study in Australia, temporarily.

• stay in Australia for between 2 to 4 years after you have finished your studies
• travel, work or study in Australia during your stay

You must find your own employment while on this visa. We are not responsible for arranging employment.

Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa Eligibility

New requirements for a temporary graduate visa for those who have been impacted by COVID-19:

• an online study undertaken outside Australia as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions will count towards the Australian Study Requirement for existing and new student visa holders
• graduates affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions will be able to apply for and be granted a Temporary Graduate visa outside Australia (where they have met all the requirements).

Online study outside Australia is counted from the time of the student visa grant. If you are applying from outside Australia you must hold or have held a Student visa in the past 12 months to apply.

Have This Passport or This Level of English Language

You can either show us that you hold a valid passport from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland, or prove your English proficiency by:

• IELTS: A score of at least 6 with a minimum score of 5 for each of the 4 parts.
• TOEFL iBT: A score of at least 64 with a minimum score of 4 for listening, 4 for reading, 14 for writing, and 14 for speaking.
• PTE Academic: A score of at least 50 with a minimum score of 36 for each of the 4 parts.
• OET: At least B for each of the 4 parts
• Cambridge C1 Advanced test: Overall at least 169 with a minimum score of at least 154 in each of the 4 parts.

Cost

• The visa costs AUD1,650 for the main applicant.
• There is also a charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you.
• Subsequent entrants must pay the full visa application charge.
• You might also have to pay other costs for health checks or police certificates and biometrics.
• The subclass 485 visa is exempt from the subsequent Temporary Application Charge.

Apply From

• You can be inside Australia but not in immigration clearance when you apply, and when we grant your application.
• Graduates impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions may also be able to apply for and be granted this visa outside Australia.
• Subsequent entrants can be in or outside Australia when they apply and when we grant them the visa.

You Can Apply Later than Six Months After Your Student Visa Expires

Applicants would no longer need to hold a student visa in the six months prior to applying for the 485 visa. Plus, you now have 12 months to meet the Australian Study Requirement for this visa type. This means you can apply for it within 12 months from the time you completed your course.

Bear in mind that all changes above only apply to applicants who were offshore for all, part of, or a portion of the period beginning Feb. 1, 2020, and Sept. 19, 2020.