After graduation: the Temporary Graduate visa (485) for Kuwaiti graduates

Many students start an Australian degree assuming they can stay on and work for a while afterwards. Often they can, through the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). But eligibility is not decided in your final semester. It depends on how long your course is, where you studied it, how much credit you transferred in and your English score, and most of those choices are made before you arrive.

This guide covers the stream most university graduates use, the common traps, and what government scholarship students should check with their sponsor first.

What the 485 is

The 485 is a temporary visa that lets international students live, study and work in Australia after they finish their studies [S1]. It has three streams [S1]:

Most Kuwaiti university graduates will look at the Post-Higher Education Work stream, so the rest of this guide focuses on it. You cannot change streams after you apply [S1].

The application charge for the Temporary Graduate visa rose from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750 on 1 July 2026 [S4]. Budget separately for health insurance, a police check and an English test.

Who is eligible

For the Post-Higher Education Work stream you must [S2]:

• be 35 or under when you apply (under 50 if you use a Masters by research or a PhD to meet the study requirement);
• be in Australia when you apply, holding an eligible visa;
• have held a Student visa in the last 6 months;
• have been awarded an eligible degree from a CRICOS-registered course in the 6 months before you apply, and meet the study requirement explained below;
• provide evidence of adequate health insurance for everyone on the application;
• provide evidence that you have applied for an Australian Federal Police check;
• provide evidence of the required English level.

Eligible degrees include bachelor's, honours, master's and doctoral degrees. A graduate diploma can count if it follows a related degree in the same or next academic year [S2].

How long you can stay

The stay depends on your qualification [S2]:

Longer periods on the Home Affairs page apply to Indian nationals and to Hong Kong and British National Overseas passport holders, not to Kuwaiti passport holders [S2].

The visa cannot be extended [S2]. The only further 485 option is the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, which is only for graduates of an institution in a regional area [S1]. Treat the 485 as a single, time-limited window.

On the visa you can travel, work or study, and you must find your own job [S2]. Study Australia describes the work rights as unlimited [S4]. You can include family members in the application [S2].

English: plan for IELTS 6.5

The 485 needs a test taken in the 12 months before you apply. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the minimum scores include [S2]:

• IELTS Academic or General Training: 6.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in each band;
• PTE Academic: 55 overall;
• TOEFL iBT: 81 overall.

Only passport holders from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland are exempt [S2]. Kuwaiti graduates need a test result. IELTS results with a One Skill Retake are accepted if the retake is completed before you lodge [S2].

The study requirement: decided on day one

This is where most problems start. To meet the 485 study requirement [S3]:

• your study must add up to 2 academic years, which means 92 weeks, counted by the course length registered on CRICOS, not by how long you actually took;
• you must have studied in Australia for at least 16 calendar months, while holding a visa that allowed you to study;
• each course must be taught in English, registered on CRICOS and at the level of diploma, trade qualification, bachelor's degree or higher;
• English language courses and enabling programmes do not count;
• failed subjects do not count;
• study only at an overseas campus of an Australian institution, or online from outside Australia, does not count.

You can meet the requirement with one course of at least 92 weeks, or with more than one eligible course that adds up to 92 weeks [S3]. A course registered for less than that will not meet it on its own.

The credit transfer trap

Many Kuwaiti students bring credit from a diploma or university study at home. Home Affairs is clear that credit for study completed overseas cannot count directly towards the requirement [S3]. More importantly, if credit shortens the time you physically study in Australia to less than 16 calendar months, you may not meet the requirement [S3].

If that happens, Home Affairs lists options: ask the university to cancel the credit and complete those subjects, complete extra units the university accepts towards the award, or complete an additional eligible qualification [S3].

Before you accept credit, ask the university in writing how long you will study in Australia once credit is applied.

Timing: the six-month window

• Apply within 6 months of course completion [S3]. Completion is the date you were told in writing that you had met all academic requirements, not your graduation ceremony [S3].
• Apply for the AFP check within the 12 months ending the day before you lodge. It cannot be the same day [S2].
• You must be in Australia when you lodge [S2], so plan your final trip home around the application.

Government scholarship students: check with your sponsor first

The 485 is an Australian visa. Whether you are free to use it is also a question for your Kuwaiti sponsor.

The MoHE scholarship regulation (Decision 197 of 2025) allows optional practical training after graduation, but only with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, and for no more than one year [S6]. Other sponsors, such as PAAET, Kuwait University, KISR and the Civil Service Commission, have their own regulations [S7].

The published sources we reviewed do not set out a general rule on returning to Kuwait or on a service period after graduation. Do not assume either way. Before you plan a 485, ask your sponsor and the Kuwait Cultural Office in writing what your scholarship allows after graduation, and keep the reply.

After the 485

Study Australia lists two further routes: an employer may be able to sponsor you for a new visa, or you can submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect [S5]. Each has its own criteria, and none is automatic. Many large employers run graduate programmes that sign students up up to a year in advance [S5], so start your job search before you finish.

A planning checklist