CAN I SWITCH FROM A STUDENT VISA TO A WORK VISA IN AUSTRALIA?

If you have spent time in Australia studying towards a degree, masters, or PhD, you may now be considering whether you can work once your studies end. As a student visa holder in Australia, you will not have the automatic right to work once your studies come to an end, rather you will be expected to leave the country before your visa expires. If your plan is to stay and work, there are specific visas which you can apply for. In this article, we will explain how the temporary Graduate visa works (subclass 485), the eligibility criteria which apply, the process of applying, and the fees. Pte score for 485 visa

WHO IS THE TEMPORARY GRADUATE VISA FOR?

The temporary Graduate visa is divided into two separate streams:

The graduate work stream – for international students who have recently graduated with skills and qualifications that are relevant to occupations on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). This visa is typically granted for a period of 18 months.

The post-study work stream – for international students who have recently graduated with a degree from an Australian institution, and allows them to live and work in Australia for a fixed period. Holders can remain in Australia for between two and four years depending on their qualifications.

It is also possible to bring your dependants such as your immediate family members with you to Australia on a temporary graduate work visa.

AM I ELIGIBLE FOR A TEMPORARY GRADUATE VISA?

Meeting the Australian study requirement

Under the graduate work stream and the post-study work stream, you must meet the Australian study requirement. This will be met if you have at least one degree, diploma or trade qualification and the following apply:

· you undertook a single eligible qualification that required at least two academic years study, or more than one qualification that resulted in a total of at least two academic years study resulting in an eligible qualification

· your course was a CRICOS-registered course

· you successfully completed all course requirements

· your study was in English

· you completed your course as a result of at least two academic years (92 weeks) study

· you were physically in Australia for at least 16 calendar months to complete the study

· you held an Australian study visa that allowed you to study

· Meeting the skills and qualification requirement

The graduate work stream requires that applicants satisfy the following requirements:

they must nominate one occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and

have a degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to that occupation and

be assessed by a relevant assessing authority as having skills suitable for that occupation

As such, applicants must select a shortage occupation which aligns with their degree (or higher qualification), and this must be assessed as suitable by a relevant assessing authority.

The post-study work stream requires that applicants have an eligible degree; either a bachelor degree, bachelor (honours) degree, Masters by coursework degree, Masters (extended) degree, masters by research degree, or doctoral degree. Visa refusal Australia

In addition, applicants for a temporary graduate visa will need to satisfy the English language requirement. This can be met by holding a passport from United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland, or by passing an English proficiency test. This can be either:

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – overall score of at least six with a minimum score of 5 for each of the four parts

Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) – with a total score of at least 64 with a minimum score of four for listening, four for reading, 14 for writing and 14 for speaking

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) – with an overall score of at least 50 with a minimum score of 36 for each of the four parts

Occupational English Test (OET) – with at least B for each of the four parts

Cambridge C1 Advanced test – at least 169 with a minimum score of at least 154 in each of the four test components

You will also need to meet the health and character requirements, and have a sufficient level of healthcare insurance for your time in Australia.