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Graduate visa 485: age limit now 35, not 50
Current Department of Home Affairs guidance lists basic eligibility for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) as being “35 years or under when you apply,” with exceptions in limited circumstances. That’s a sharp cut from the much higher ceiling — widely reported by migration advisers as 50 — that applied until recently. Older graduates who assumed post-study work rights were still available well into their 40s need to check this before finishing their course.
What changed
Home Affairs’ subclass 485 page now states the 35-year age ceiling as a basic requirement across the visa’s streams: the Post-Vocational Education Work stream (associate degree, diploma or trade qualification linked to an occupation Australia needs) and the Post-Higher Education Work stream (degree-level qualification). The department’s guidance notes exceptions apply in limited circumstances, but doesn’t publish the general threshold that applied before this change — so we can’t confirm the exact prior figure ourselves, only that it was materially higher.
Alongside the age change, the visa application charge has also risen. Home Affairs now lists the cost as “from AUD $5,750.00,” with a lower rate for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.
Who it affects
- Students finishing an Australian degree, diploma, or trade qualification later in life, particularly postgraduate and research students who started their course in their late 30s or 40s.
- Anyone who held off applying for a 485 visa assuming they had years of eligibility left.
- Applicants budgeting for the visa — the fee increase compounds the tighter age window.
What you should do
- Check your age against the current 35-year threshold well before you finish your course — don’t assume older guidance still applies.
- If you’re close to the cutoff, apply as soon as you meet the Temporary Graduate visa study requirement rather than waiting.
- Confirm which stream applies to your qualification level, since eligibility and occupation requirements differ between the Post-Vocational and Post-Higher Education Work streams.
- Budget for the higher AUD $5,750 base charge when planning your post-study finances.
What hasn’t changed
The core structure of the 485 visa — work rights, the option to bring family, and the underlying requirement to have held a Student visa recently with a CRICOS-registered qualification — is unchanged. See our guide to the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa and working in Australia for the full picture.