Post-Higher Education Work stream

If you have a current visa with a 'No further stay' condition 8534 or 8503 on your current visa, you can’t apply for this visa online. Submit an ImmiAccount technical support form.

To see your conditions see VEVO.

You may need to have health examinations.

Find out the examinations you need and how to arrange them. Arranging examinations before you apply may lead to a faster decision.

Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:

• a registered migration agent
• a legal practitioner, or
• an exempt person.

You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter.

Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.

Also provide:

• a national identity card, if you have one
• proof of change of name.

Documents that prove a change of name include:

• a marriage or divorce certificate
• change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
• documents that show other names you have been known by.

The documents you need for your application are listed under ‘Evidence to attach to your application’ on Meeting the Temporary Graduate visa study requirement.

To prove your English level meets the requirements, show us evidence of one of the following:

• You are a citizen of and hold a valid passport from:
  • the United Kingdom
  • the United States of America
  • Canada
  • New Zealand or
  • the Republic of Ireland.
• In the 12 months immediately before the day you apply for your visa, you must have scored one of the following:

Holders of British National (BNO) or Hong Kong passports must have scored one of the following in the 12 months immediately before the day they apply for their visa:​

You must prove that you have adequate health insurance in Australia. Provide:

• a signed letter from a health insurance provider
• a Medicare card or proof of your enrolment with Medicare
• evidence of health insurance.

You and any other applicants aged 16 years or over must provide evidence that you applied for an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check within the 12 month period ending the day before you submit your visa application.

This means:

• you must not apply for the AFP check on the same day as your visa application
• you must apply for the AFP check no earlier than 12 months before and no later than the day before your visa application date.

We only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates (Immigration/Citizenship – Australia Name Check Only) issued by the Australian Federal Police.

We do not accept:

• standard disclosure certificates
• national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police, or
• certificates from any other organisation

Note: the AFP National Police Checks system may take up to 24 hours to generate a receipt following submission. The AFP application submission confirmation page can be saved and used as evidence of the date you applied for the AFP check.

You must complete and provide:

• Form 80 – Personal particulars for character assessment
• Form 1221 Additional personal particulars information

If requested, you may also need to provide:

• an overseas police certificate from each country you have lived in for a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, including your home country
• military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country.

For more information, see character requirements for visas.

To nominate someone to:

• receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient
• provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

Provide your partner's:

• identity documents
• character documents
• documents about other family members, if applicable.

If you are married, provide your marriage certificate or other evidence that your marriage is valid in Australia.

If you are a de facto partner, provide proof of your de facto relationship.

This proof should show that:

• you have a mutual commitment with your partner to the exclusion of all others
• your relationship is genuine and continuing
• you either live together or don't live permanently apart
• you are not related by family.

Additional proof of a de facto relationships

In addition to documents proving your relationship provide evidence that:

• you have been in your de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you applied for this visa, or
• if applicable, provide evidence that your relationship is registered by a participating Australian state or territory.

For every dependant 18 years old or younger who is applying with you, provide:

• copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all your dependent children
• copies of the adoption paper, if applicable.

Parental responsibility documents

You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who:

• has a legal right to decide where the child lives and
• is not coming to Australia with the child.

They must complete either:

• Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years
• a statutory declaration giving their consent for the child to visit Australia on this visa.

Alternatively, you can show us:

• an Australian court order that allows your child to migrate to Australia, or
• that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate.

Include:

• an identity document that shows the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or driver’s licence
• adoption papers or other court documents if applicable.

To include your child who is over 18 in your visa application, they must be:

• over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner, or
• over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner.

If your child is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability.

Provide:

• a copy of their birth certificate to prove their relationship to you
• documents about their other relationships, if applicable
• identity documents
• character documents.

You must also provide proof the child is dependent on you.

• proof of your relationship with the dependant such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
• a completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over
• proof of financial dependency such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
• if the child is aged 23 or is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you must also provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner that states they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions.

1. Create or login to ImmiAccount
2. Attach documents
3. Have family applications processed together. Each family member must still have their Visa Application Charge paid and documents attached to their application
4. Pay the Visa Application Charge. We will not process your application until you pay the charge.

When you submit your application you must pay for you and your family members or your application will not be valid.

Note:

• choose visa stream carefully - it is not possible to make changes after you apply
• a valid application must be made within the eligibility timeframe. Late applications cannot be accepted
• applications are received Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) (or Australian Eastern daylight standard time (AEDST) when applicable.

When you submit your application you must attach the following information:

• evidence of successful course completion
• evidence of the required level of English
• evidence all applicants over the age of 16 years have applied for an Australian Federal Police check. See character requirements for visas
• evidence of adequate health insurance for all applicants.

If you have a technical problem with your ImmiAccount or online application see how to resolve error messages when submitting online

We cannot give status updates while your application is within standard processing timeframes.

Check ImmiAccount for any information requests.

You can be in or outside Australia (but not in immigration clearance) when we decide on your visa application.

You can attach further supporting documents in ImmiAccount.

You should provide any requested information within the specified timeframe. We can make a decision on your application once the timeframe has passed.

Make sure you stay lawful by holding a valid visa while we process your application.

When you applied for this visa, you were granted a bridging visa. If your current visa expires before we decide on your application, your bridging visa will allow you to stay lawfully in Australia while we process your application.

Do not cancel your current visa. If you do, you will be staying in Australia unlawfully.

Learn more about visa expiry. 

You may be able to add your dependent child to your application for this visa before we make a decision.

You will need to:

• complete Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement with a clear statement to add the child to your 485 application
• attach all supporting documents including the child's passport, birth certificate and documents to prove your relationship and custody.

Your family can also apply to join you in Australia as a subsequent entrant after the visa is granted. See when you have this visa.

Newborn children

If your child is born after you apply but before we make a decision on your visa, then your child is considered to have made the same visa application as you.

You must tell us as soon as possible and give us:

• a copy of the child's birth certificate
• a completed Form 1022 Notification of changes in circumstances 
• copies of all supporting documents including the child's passport if available.

Let us know as soon as you can if you made a mistake on your application.

Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers

Let us know if you no longer want someone to:

• receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient
• provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person.

Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.

For more information see Who can help you with your application.

Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:

• changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
• changes to your relationship status
• the birth of a child
• you want to withdraw your application.

See how to tell us if your situation changes