Australia 485 Visa in 2026: Higher Fees, Tighter Rules

Australia's Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) has had a rough run through 2024, 2025, and 2026. Three fee increases in just over two years, an age limit cut in half, tighter English requirements, and the removal of several extension pathways. The changes are real and they matter. This post lays out exactly what changed and when, with the source for each claim.

The headline figure: from 1 March 2026, the primary applicant fee is AUD 4,600, up from AUD 2,300. That is a 100% increase. ICEF Monitor described it as more than ten times the equivalent fee in Canada and twice the UK equivalent, making Australia's 485 the most expensive post-study work visa in the world.

What the subclass 485 is

The 485 is a temporary visa that lets international students stay in Australia after graduation to work and gain experience. It is not a pathway to permanent residence on its own, but many graduates use it as a window to build the points and work experience that lead to a skilled migration application.

The visa runs between two and three years depending on your qualification. You must apply from within Australia, and the clock starts when the Department of Home Affairs grants the visa.

The fee: AUD 4,600 from 1 March 2026

The Department of Home Affairs set the new fee under the Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Application Charge) Regulations 2026, effective 1 March 2026. The breakdown:

• Primary applicant: AUD 4,600
• Adult dependant (18 or over): AUD 2,300
• Child dependant (under 18): AUD 1,160

Citizens of eligible Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste pay a lower rate. All other applicants pay the figures above.

The fee is non-refundable if your application is refused. At AUD 4,600 before adding dependants, health insurance, police checks, and English testing, this is a significant upfront cost. A refused application does not just set your plans back, it costs you the full fee. Getting the application right the first time matters more than it did two years ago.

Age limit cut to 35

The maximum age at the time of application was reduced to 35, down from the previous 50. This took effect as part of the 2024 reform package.

Exceptions exist. If you hold a master's by research degree, a PhD, or a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport, the under-50 age limit still applies to you. For everyone else applying under the Post-Higher Education Work Stream, you need to be 34 or younger on the day you lodge.

This cut catches a specific group: career-changers and mid-career professionals who went back to study at 30 or older, graduated at 35 or later, and expected to use the 485 as a bridge. If you are in that group and have not yet applied, check your age eligibility carefully before banking on this visa.

New English requirements

The English language bar has moved up and the window on test results has closed.

From the 2024 reforms:

• Minimum IELTS overall score: 6.5 (was 6.0)
• Minimum in each band: 5.5
• Test result validity: 12 months from the date of issue (was 36 months)

The one-year validity is the change that catches the most people off guard. If your IELTS result is more than twelve months old on the day you lodge your 485 application, it is not accepted. You need a new test.

PTE Academic is also accepted, with an equivalent threshold to the IELTS requirement. The Department of Home Affairs eligibility page lists accepted tests and score equivalencies.

How long does the 485 last in 2026?

Duration is tied to what you studied, as confirmed on the Department of Home Affairs page:

• Bachelor's degree: 2 years
• Master's by coursework: 2 years
• Master's by research: 3 years
• Doctoral degree (PhD): 3 years
• Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport holders: 5 years

A second stream exists for graduates who studied and lived in a designated regional area of Australia. That grants an additional one to two years on top of the above, but it is a separate application, not an extension of the first visa.

Renamed streams: what they mean in practice

The 2024 reform package renamed the two main streams:

• Post-Higher Education Work Stream (previously called Post-Study Work Stream): for graduates with a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from a CRICOS-registered Australian institution.
• Post-Vocational Education Work Stream (previously called Graduate Work Stream): for graduates with vocational qualifications linked to an occupation on a skilled occupation list.

The Replacement stream closed to new applicants in 2024. The renaming was partly because applicants were regularly applying under the wrong stream. With a non-refundable AUD 4,600 fee, choosing the wrong stream is a costly mistake. If you have a university degree, you want the Post-Higher Education Work Stream.

What you cannot do on a 485 in 2026

A few things that catch students out:

You cannot apply onshore if you are currently on a student visa (subclass 500) that was a result of a switch from a visitor visa or another 485. The chain of student visas that ends in a 485 needs a direct and clean path from a genuine student visa held for the right purpose.

You cannot change stream after lodging your application. The Department of Home Affairs is firm on this. If you apply under the wrong stream, the fee is gone and you need to start again.

The COVID-era extension pathways have been removed. The select-degree two-year extension (which gave Post-Study Work stream holders an additional two years for certain qualifications) closed to new applications from 1 July 2024 under the Migration Legislation Amendment (Graduate Visas) Instrument LIN 24/044 2024. The COVID Replacement stream also closed on 30 June 2024. If you applied before 1 July 2024, the old rules applied to your application; all new applications from that date fall under the current framework.

Is the 485 still worth it for Indian students?

That depends on what you are using it for.

If your goal is to build Australian work experience toward a skilled visa, the 485 is still the main vehicle. Two to three years of graduate employment in Australia gives you the experience points and employer relationships that a skilled migration application needs. The higher fee is a real cost, but the underlying purpose of the visa has not changed.

If your goal was to extend your time in Australia without a specific career plan, the visa is now harder to justify at AUD 4,600. The age limit and tighter English requirements also mean more graduates fall outside eligibility than before.

The comparison with New Zealand's Post Study Work Visa is worth looking at if you are in the planning stages. New Zealand's PSWV runs up to three years for master's and doctoral graduates, carries its own conditions, and the two countries offer different job markets. See our comparison of NZ vs Australia post-study work in 2026 for a direct breakdown.

For the current Australian student visa rules, including in-study work rights and financial requirements, see our Australia hub.

Sources

• Department of Home Affairs, Post-Higher Education Work stream, Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485): primary source for fee, age, English, and duration requirements, as of June 2026.
• ICEF Monitor, Australia doubles post-study work visa application fee: confirms 1 March 2026 fee increase and international comparison, published 4 March 2026.
• Roam Migration Law, What changed for the subclass 485 visa in 2026: detailed summary of the 2024 and 2026 reform package.
• IDP Education, New visa rules for international students 2026: Australia: student visa and 485 changes summary.

Last updated: 4 June 2026.