New Student Visa Work Rights Announced

Long anticipated work rights for post study work have been announced following previous recommendations from the Knight Review. These arrangements are currently proposed and still need to be approved by the Governor General, which is anticipated to be early 2013, possibly March.

For your reference;

The Knight review recommendation 4

Information from DIAC regarding the Temporary Graduate 485

Universities Australia’s post-study queries and scenarios

The Subclass 485 visa will be renamed the Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) visa, and it will have two streams:

Graduate Work Stream

  • Will remain similar to the current Subclass 485 visa arrangements.

Post-Study Work Stream

  • Only available to those who applied for their first Student visas after the introduction of the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement on 5 November 2011. People who applied for Student visas prior to 5 November 2011 will have to use the Graduate Work Stream if eligible;
  • Must have completed an Australian qualification with six months before applying for the Post-Study Work Stream visa;
  • Must meet the Australian study requirement (ie, CRICOS course(s) for at least 92 weeks, completed in no less than 16 months);
  • Must be less than 50 years old;
  • Must be in Australia;
  • Must have Competent English (ie, IELTS or OET test, or hold a passport from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the US or the Republic of Ireland);
  • Australian qualification must be at AQF Level 7 higher (ie, Bachelor. Masters, Doctorate)
  • Can hold a packaged lower qualification such as Graduate Certificate or Diploma that articulated into a completed Masters degree;
  • Does not require a nominated occupation.

Visa validity

  • Doctoral graduates: Four years
  • Masters by research: Four years
  • Bachelor and Masters by coursework: Two years

The Subclass 485 visa can only be held once, meaning current 485 visa holders cannot access the Post-Study Work stream. All current Subclass 485 visa holders will have work and study rights.

Our Migration Team can help you understand your options to remain in Australia to commence further studies or to get valuable work experience in a field that closely related to your study area. We can help you to get your student visa application right the first time and thus avoid costly delays in processing. We will ensure that you are in the best position possible to get your application approved.

Our team have assisted clients with a range of immigration services. Contact us to discuss your student visa and post-study options.

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