485 Temporary Graduate Visa for Indian Graduates: AI-ECTA Stay Periods, the Age 35 Rule and the AUD 5,750 Fee

The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) costs AUD 5,750 for the main applicant on the Home Affairs price list we read on 6 November 2026, requires you to be 35 or under when you apply, and gives Indian nationals longer stay periods than most graduates under the Australia India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA). A bachelor degree earns 2 years (3 with first class honours in STEM, including ICT), a masters degree earns 3 years and a PhD earns 4 years. This guide covers streams, English scores, the study requirement, cost and the family question.

Which 485 Stream Applies to You

The visa has four streams. Most Indian students will use the first.

• Post-Higher Education Work. For a recent bachelor, honours, masters, doctoral or higher doctoral degree from a CRICOS-registered provider.
• Post-Vocational Education Work. For an associate degree, diploma or trade qualification closely related to an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List. The stay is up to 18 months.
• Second Post-Higher Education Work. Only after a first Post-Higher Education Work visa, with a degree from a campus in a designated regional area and at least 2 years living only in a designated regional area. It adds 1 year in a Category 2 area (2 in Tasmania) or 2 years in a Category 3 area.
• Replacement. Closed to new applications from 1 July 2024.

AI-ECTA Stay Periods for Indian Graduates

The Post-Higher Education Work page gives two sets of stay periods. The second applies to Indian nationals, as agreed in AI-ECTA.

The page lists no separate application step for the longer periods, but it does not define which fields count as STEM for the first class honours period beyond "including ICT". Confirm your field with Home Affairs before you rely on the third year. The 2 year extension for select regional degrees ceased on 1 July 2024, so extra time for regional study now comes only through the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream.

The Age 35 Rule and Other Eligibility Tests

You must be 35 or under on the day you apply. You can be under 50 if you use a masters by research or a PhD to meet the study requirement, or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport. Other tests for the Post-Higher Education Work stream:

• Be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, when you apply.
• Hold an eligible Student visa, or have held one in the past 6 months and now hold a Bridging Visa A or B or a substantive visa.
• Have been awarded the degree in the 6 months before you apply.
• Hold adequate health insurance for all applicants.
• Show that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check.
• Provide evidence of the required English level.
• Not have held a 485 or 476 visa as a primary applicant before.

The Australian Study Requirement

Within the 6 months before you apply, you must have completed either one qualification that requires at least 2 academic years of study, or more than one that together total at least 2 academic years. You must have studied in Australia for no less than 16 calendar months while holding a visa that authorised study, in English-taught, CRICOS-registered courses.

Home Affairs counts 2 academic years as 92 weeks of CRICOS-registered duration. You get credit only for the standard duration of a course you completed successfully, and credit for prior learning can reduce the study counted. English language courses and enabling programs do not count. The same wording applies to the 5 points for the Australian study requirement in the PR points test.

English Requirements

Indian citizens must show a test result from the 12 months before the day they apply. These are the minimums for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025:

The page also accepts LANGUAGECERT Academic (67 overall), MET (58 overall) and OET. Tests taken before 7 August 2025 use an older table, for example PTE 57 overall, so plan a test date that is still valid on your lodgement day. Our language requirements page compares the tests.

What the 485 Costs

If family inclusion stays available, a main applicant with a partner and two children under 18 would pay AUD 11,525 in visa application charges (5,750 plus 2,875 plus 1,450 twice), before health checks, police certificates and biometrics. Confirm the figure in the Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay, because older figures online are out of date.

Steps for an Indian Graduate

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the 485 visa cost for an Indian graduate?

The Home Affairs price list on 6 November 2026 shows AUD 5,750 for the main applicant in the Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work streams, AUD 2,875 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,450 for each applicant under 18. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream costs AUD 2,265, AUD 1,140 and AUD 575. Health checks, police certificates and biometrics cost extra.

How long can an Indian graduate stay on a 485 under AI-ECTA?

Home Affairs lists 2 years for a bachelor degree including honours, 3 years for a bachelor degree with first class honours in STEM including ICT, 3 years for a masters degree of any type, and 4 years for a PhD.

Is the age limit 35 for everyone?

No. You must be 35 or under when you apply, but you can be under 50 if you use a masters by research or a PhD to meet the study requirement, or if you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport. Age is checked on the day you apply.

What English score do I need?

For a test taken on or after 7 August 2025, the Post-Higher Education Work page lists IELTS 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each skill, PTE Academic 55 overall with minimums of 40, 42, 41 and 39, TOEFL iBT 81 overall, and CELPIP 8 overall with 6 in each skill. The test must fall in the 12 months before you apply.

Can I extend a 485 or get a second one?

Home Affairs says it cannot extend the visa. If your first visa was in the Post-Higher Education Work stream and you studied and then lived in a designated regional area, you may qualify for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, which gives 1 or 2 years. Anyone who held a 485 or 476 as a primary applicant cannot be granted the visa as a primary applicant again.

Can I include my spouse and children?

The Home Affairs 485 page still lets you include family members who are in Australia when you apply, and add children until the decision. On 17 September 2026 the Minister said family members will no longer be attached to graduate visas. We found no start date, so recheck the page before you lodge.

Does the 485 lead to permanent residence?

Not by itself. Use the stay period to get a skills assessment, build skilled employment, find an employer sponsor or lodge an expression of interest for a points-tested visa.