2024 May Update
Master (Research) and PhD graduates will be exempted from the 35 year-old age limit. They will be eligible to apply for the 485 visa (Post-Higher Education Work Stream) if they are under 50 years of age, and not affected by the 35-years-old age limitation.
The Australian Immigration Department officially announced that the age limit for the 485 Graduate Work Visa will reduce to 35 years old last Thursday and this change will be implemented on 1st July this year.
At present, the government has not formally legislated or issued detailed policy. This blog post will analyse potential specific implementation plans and provide specific action recommendations to the best of our ability (limited to individuals who may be affected by this policy).
1. Worst-Case Scenario: No Exemptions
If individuals are completing their courses before mid 2024 (i.e July), they can strive to request a Completion Letter from the school as soon as possible in June, and then submit their 485 visa application by the end of June. We recommend that individuals with this plan contact their school as soon as possible and start preparing their 485 application materials and documents in advance. Please contact AAS for professional 485 visa application service.
If individuals are graduating after mid 2024, AAS recommendation is to wait patiently for another one or two months, until the government announces specific implementation plans. It is better not to take action for now.
2. May Be a Legacy Clause (as known as "Grandfather Clause")
In fact, when the 485 visa was ‘created’ by the government in 2011, it was mainly intended to attract more international students to study in Australia. If the government wants to limit the number of temporary residents and cut off the visas without a legacy clause, it would have a big impact for current international students who will be over 35 upon graduation, as their future plans may be affected.
At present, the government has not yet mentioned whether this policy will have a Legacy Clause. Looking back at previous significant policies introduced by the Australian Immigration Department, majority of them have been accompanied by a legacy clause. AAS has expressed concerns to the government earlier. It is advisable for everyone to adopt a wait-and-see attitude and complete the current semester as usual for now.
3. Possibility of Additional Exemptions for PhD Students
Currently, the only exemption announced last week is for the holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) / British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports. There was no exemption news for the PhD students at the moment. According to the Group of Eight (Go8) universities, about half of the PhD candidates are international students, with 40% of them being over 30 years old. This means that if there are no exemptions, Australia will lose at least 20% of its PhD talent. However, if the legacy clause mentioned in the second point above is implemented, this 20% of PhD talent will also have the opportunity to continue staying in Australia.
In summary, individuals graduating mid-year should try to submit their 485 applications before July 1st; for those currently studying but not completing their courses as quickly, patience is advised while awaiting specific implementation plans, with the key being whether there is a legacy clause; individuals planning to study in Australia aged 33 or older should think wisely.
Completing a 1-year Master program in the UK can grant a two-year work visa, learn more (AAS UK).