Your 485 Is Ending: The Second 485 (Regional Stream) and What Else to Do

The COVID Replacement Stream Is Closed — Don't Confuse It With the Second 485

Between 2022 and mid-2024, current and former 485 holders who lost time in Australia to COVID-era travel restrictions could apply for a Temporary Graduate (Replacement stream) visa to make up for it. That stream is now closed: you can no longer apply for it as a primary applicant, and applications closed from 1 July 2024. If you've read that a "replacement 485" is available, that information is out of date. The mechanism that is current is different in both name and substance — the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream — and it has a regional requirement the old Replacement stream never had. Getting this distinction right matters because they have different eligibility rules entirely; assuming the old, easier Replacement-stream criteria apply to today's second-visa option is a mistake worth avoiding before you plan around it.

What the Second Post-Higher Education Work Stream Actually Requires

The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, available since 1 July 2023, lets a graduate who already held a first Post-Higher Education Work stream 485 apply for a further 485 — but only if their connection to the first visa was genuinely regional. In broad terms that means: your original qualifying study was completed at an Australian institution located in a designated regional area, and you lived in a designated regional area for the relevant period during your first 485, rather than in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. "Designated regional area" for this purpose is a defined list set by the Department, not just "anywhere outside a capital city" in the everyday sense — Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, the Gold Coast and most regional and rural areas are typically included, while inner Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are not. Because the exact boundary of "designated regional area" is set by a Home Affairs legislative instrument that can be updated, confirm your specific postcode against the Department's current regional postcode list before assuming you qualify, rather than relying on a general description like this one. This second visa is reported to run for a further 1 to 2 years, with the exact length depending on the regional category involved.

Age Limit and Who Is Not Eligible

Home Affairs states the general age limit for Temporary Graduate visa applicants, including this second visa, as 35 years or under at the time of application, with separate provisions for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders (who have their own distinct Temporary Graduate arrangements, including a longer stay period, unrelated to the regional stream). If you studied and lived only in a metropolitan area during your first 485, or you're over the standard age limit without falling into one of the specific exceptions, the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is not available to you — the alternatives further down this page are the realistic paths instead. It's also reported to be limited to people whose first 485 was in the Post-Higher Education Work stream specifically (the degree-holder stream), not the Post-Vocational Education Work stream — if your first 485 was on a vocational qualification, treat that limitation as a real possibility to check rather than an assumption to plan around, since it changes which of the alternatives below is your actual next step.

Alternative Pathway: 485 to 482 (Employer Sponsorship)

If the second 485 isn't available to you, or wouldn't buy enough time to reach PR, the most common next step is employer sponsorship on a 482 visa. That needs: an employer willing to sponsor you, in an occupation on the relevant 482 occupation list, with the employer either already a Standard Business Sponsor or willing to become one; and the 482 application lodged before your 485 expires so you carry a bridging visa across rather than a gap. On grant, the 482 typically runs 2-4 years tied to that employer and occupation, and after continuous employment (commonly 2-3 years, depending on the stream) opens a path to the 186 Employer Nomination Scheme for permanent residence. Total time from student visa through 485, 482 and 186 to PR commonly runs 5-7 years. See /blog/482-skills-in-demand-visa-guide for current occupation lists, salary thresholds and sponsor obligations.

Alternative Pathway: Direct to a Points-Tested Skilled Visa (189, 190, 491)

The other realistic route is a direct points-tested application — lodging an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, and applying for 189 (no state or regional nomination), 190 (state nomination) or 491 (regional nomination) once invited. 189 invitations for most occupations currently sit well above the minimum, commonly reported around 90+ points, which is out of reach for many 485 holders without significant extra points from partner skills, further study or additional years of skilled work; 190 (state nomination) and 491 (regional nomination, generally the more accessible of the three) both add points on top of your base score, which is why many 485 holders target those two rather than 189 directly. Your 485-period skilled work experience in your nominated occupation does count toward the Australian work experience points once it reaches the relevant thresholds. See /blog/189-skilled-independent-visa-guide, /blog/491-nomination-by-state-2026 and /blog/190-nomination-by-state-2026 for the current criteria on each.

What to Do When the 485 Ends Without a Next Visa

If none of the above lands before your 485 expires, your realistic options narrow to: departing Australia (your Australian qualification and work history still support future applications, from Australia or elsewhere); a visitor visa for a short return; a partner visa, if you're in a relationship with an Australian citizen or permanent resident that genuinely meets the requirements (see /blog/family-violence-provisions-partner-visa-australia and the broader partner visa guides for what that actually takes); or a fresh student visa for further study, which requires satisfying the current Genuine Student requirement again — see /blog/student-visa-genuine-student-test for what changed there in 2024. The year before your 485 expires is the point to be actively pursuing more than one of these in parallel — a 482 job search and a skilled EOI at the same time, for example — rather than waiting to see which one lands first. For a case with several moving parts like this, a MARA-registered migration agent can map the realistic sequence rather than you guessing at it alone. Migratio is Australia's marketplace for finding and comparing MARA-registered migration agents. Submit your brief describing your current visa, study background, work history and target pathway.

Working Out Which First 485 Stream You Actually Held

Because eligibility for the second visa depends specifically on which stream your first 485 was granted under, it's worth confirming this rather than assuming from memory — visa grant letters and ImmiAccount both show the specific stream and conditions attached to your grant. If your original qualification was a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, you were very likely in the Post-Higher Education Work stream. If your qualification was a diploma, advanced diploma or trade qualification tied to a skills assessment in an eligible occupation, you were very likely in the Post-Vocational Education Work stream instead, which is the one reported not to carry a second-visa option. Confusing the two is an easy mistake to make a year or more after the original grant, and it's exactly the kind of detail worth checking before you plan a strategy around a second 485 that may not have been designed for your stream in the first place.

Timeline: When to Actually Start Planning

Because a 482 sponsorship search, a skills assessment, or building points for a skilled EOI can each take months on their own, the practical planning window is roughly 12 months before your 485 expires, not the final weeks. A realistic sequence: around 12 months out, check whether the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is genuinely open to you (regional study and residence, age, correct first stream) rather than assuming either way; in parallel, start a job search aimed specifically at employers who sponsor 482 visas in your occupation, since finding a willing sponsor is usually the longest single step in that pathway; and get a skills assessment underway for your occupation if a points-tested visa is realistic for you, since the assessment itself can take several months before you can even lodge an EOI. Running more than one of these at once costs you nothing but time, and it means you're not forced into whichever option happens to still be open in the final month.

Is the Temporary Graduate Replacement stream (subclass 485) still available?

No. The Replacement stream, for 485 holders who lost time to COVID-19 travel restrictions, closed to new applications from 1 July 2024. If you're looking for a second 485 today, the current mechanism is the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, which has a regional requirement the Replacement stream didn't have — they are not the same thing.

Do I need to have studied in a regional area to get a second 485?

Yes, for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream specifically — you need to have completed your qualifying study at a regionally located institution and lived in a designated regional area during your first 485. Studying or living in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane during your first 485 generally rules this option out; check your postcode against the Department's current designated regional area list rather than assuming.

Can Post-Vocational Education Work stream 485 holders apply for the second 485?

The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is reported to be available to those whose first 485 was in the Post-Higher Education Work stream specifically — confirm your own eligibility with the Department or a migration agent if your first 485 was in the Post-Vocational Education Work stream, since a different alternative pathway (482 or a points-tested visa) may be your realistic next step instead.

What's the age limit for the second 485?

The general age limit for Temporary Graduate applicants, including the second visa, is 35 years or under at the time of application, with separate arrangements for Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders. If you're over the limit and don't fall into one of the specific exceptions, the second 485 isn't available and an employer-sponsored or points-tested pathway is the realistic route.

Does my 485 work count toward points for a 189, 190 or 491 visa?

Yes — skilled Australian work in your nominated occupation during the 485 counts toward the Australian work experience points once it reaches the relevant thresholds. It doesn't automatically qualify you; you still need the skills assessment and other requirements for your target visa.

How long does the second 485 last?

The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is reported to run for a further 1 to 2 years, with the exact length depending on which regional category applies to your study and residence history. Confirm the current duration for your specific circumstances with the Department before relying on a general figure.