Working and Travelling While Your 485 Visa Is Processed

Many graduates lodge their 485 Temporary Graduate visa application and then wait months for a decision. In the meantime, you will usually be on your student visa and then a Bridging Visa A. Knowing which conditions apply, and when, helps you take up full time work and avoid problems with travel.

Which visa are you on?

Stage	Visa in effect	Work limit
After you lodge, while your student visa is still valid	Student visa	Student conditions apply, including 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session
After your student visa expires	Bridging Visa A for your 485 application	Generally none. Health insurance must be maintained
After your 485 is granted	485 visa	No work limit

Your student visa conditions do not stop when you lodge. A bridging visa only comes into effect when your student visa ends. If your course has finished and is no longer in session, the student work limit does not apply to that period, but other conditions still do until your student visa ends. See student work rights.

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Health insurance

Health insurance is a condition of the 485 and of the bridging visa granted for it. You must have adequate health insurance when you apply and keep it while the application is processed and after grant. Student OSHC policies usually end with your student visa, so arrange suitable overseas visitor cover in time. See health insurance for 485 visas.

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Travelling while you wait

• Apply for a Bridging Visa B before you travel: a BVA ends if you leave Australia, and you may not be able to return. See Bridging Visa B.
• Your student visa may still be valid: if you travel on your student visa before it expires, check it will still be valid on your return.
• Be in Australia when it matters: a 485 can be granted in or outside Australia, but leaving can affect your bridging visa and plans.
• Leaving Australia without a BVB: see left Australia without a Bridging Visa B.

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Family members

If your partner or children are included in your 485 application, their bridging visas may carry the conditions from the visas they held before, such as a work limit. Check each person’s grant letter or VEVO.

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Before you lodge

Make sure you meet the 485 deadlines and requirements, including lodging within 6 months of completing your course, the age limit and the English test. See the 485 lodgement deadline calculator and the 485 eligibility checker.

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What you should do now

• Check VEVO after you lodge: confirm your bridging visa and its conditions.
• Keep health insurance in place: it is a condition of the bridging visa and the 485.
• Get a BVB before travel: a BVA ends when you leave.
• Check family members’ conditions: they may differ from yours.