Can international students stay in Australia after completing their studies? Which visa allows students to stay in Australia once their student visa expires? All these questions are commonly asked from Australian immigration agents and experts.
Students who have completed their studies in Australia can apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa. This visa pathway can take them towards permanent residency and eventually citizenship! So if you want to stay in Australia forever, apply for this visa before your current student visa expires.
The temporary graduate subclass 485 visa lets international students stay in Australia and complete a professional year. This way they can work upon their English skills and gain the most essential workplace skills easily.
This visa pathway is simpler and easier as it does not require a sponsorship, nor is it a points-based visa. You can apply for another permanent resident visa at any time while holding this visa.
Basic requirements for this visa include:
● The age of the applicant should be less than 50 years (if you planning for permanent residency, make sure to apply for this visa before 45 years of age as the maximum limit for permanent residency visa is 45 years)
● You must have held a student visa in Australia for the last six months.
● You need to have a certain level of English proficiency to be able to apply for this visa.
● You can apply in any one of the streams of this visa. You cannot change your stream once you have applied for the visa.
Three streams of temporary graduate visa Australia:
- Graduate stream: This visa is for international students who hold a degree, diploma or trade qualification that are relevant to an occupation mentioned on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).
- Post-Study work visa: This visa is for international students who have graduated with a degree from an Australian institution.
- Second Post-Study Work stream: This visa is for those who already hold a post-study work visa and have studied from an institution located in a regional area of Australia.
You must take note that the temporary graduate visa can be applied once only and it cannot be extended. However, once you have worked in Australia for a few years, you can then apply for a permanent residency visa. Many students apply for the 485 visa subclass and then use this time to build up their skills that will help them in building their skills for permanent residency in Australia. Given below are some visas that you can apply for after holding a subclass 485 or subclass 476 visa:
● Temporary Skill Shortage visa (subclass 482) (temporary – two or four years depending on the stream)
● Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) (permanent)
● Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) (permanent)
● Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) (permanent)
● Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491) (temporary – five years)
Students often get confused about what to do once they complete their studies in Australia. While many students would want to go to their home country and live with their family. There are a certain category of students who want to live in Australia and even bring their family members here. The visa subclass 485 proves to be a promising option that can help students achieve such a goal.
Before you apply, make sure you prepare the documentation correctly for your temporary graduate visa subclass 485. In case you need assistance, you should consult an immigration agent. They can help you prepare the documentation correctly and make sure you have attached all the required documents for this visa. They will also guide you where you can apply for jobs or what further qualifications you can gain to strengthen your permanent residence application.
