From the 485 Temporary Graduate Visa to the 190 Skilled Nominated Visa

Why 485 holders look at the 190

The 485 exists to let recent graduates of Australian institutions live and work in Australia for a set period after finishing their studies. Under the current structure, the Post-Higher Education Work stream provides stays of up to 2 years for bachelor and master degree graduates and up to 3 years for doctoral graduates, while the Post-Vocational Education Work stream provides up to 18 months for eligible vocational graduates. Different arrangements apply to some cohorts, such as certain Hong Kong and British National (Overseas) passport holders — check the current settings on the Home Affairs website.

Because the 485 does not renew indefinitely, holders who want to stay long term generally need to move to another visa before it ends. The 190 is one of the visas people commonly consider because it is permanent, and because state and territory nomination programs sometimes weight local study, local work experience or local residence in their selection criteria. Whether that applies to you in any given program year depends entirely on each state's current published criteria, which change frequently.

The criteria the Department publishes for the 190

The Department of Home Affairs publishes the eligibility criteria for the 190 on its website. In broad terms, an applicant needs a suitable skills assessment for an occupation on the relevant eligible occupation list, needs to be nominated by a state or territory government agency, needs to be invited to apply after lodging an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, needs to be under 45 years of age at the time of invitation, and needs to demonstrate at least Competent English.

The 190 is also points-tested. The Department publishes a minimum points score — currently 65, which includes the points awarded for state nomination itself — and the full table of how points are calculated. This guide deliberately does not estimate anyone's points: the test has detailed rules about how study, work experience, English results and other factors are counted, and how they apply to an individual history is exactly the kind of question a MARA-registered agent is placed to work through with you. On top of the Department's criteria, each state and territory sets its own separate nomination requirements, which can include occupation lists, residence expectations, work experience thresholds and commitment statements.

How the transition typically works

In sequence, the transition usually looks like this. First, the graduate obtains or updates a skills assessment from the assessing authority for their occupation. Second, they lodge an EOI in SkillSelect indicating interest in the 190 and in the states they would accept nomination from. Third, they engage with state or territory nomination processes — some states select directly from SkillSelect, others require a separate registration or application through their own portal. Fourth, if a state nominates them, an invitation to apply is issued through SkillSelect. Only then can a visa application actually be lodged with the Department.

Two things are worth being clear about. An EOI is not a visa application — it grants no status, no bridging visa and no extension of stay. And nomination is competitive: meeting a state's published minimum criteria means an application can be considered, not that it will be selected. States allocate limited nomination places each program year and their selection patterns shift from year to year.

Timing against the 485 clock

The tension in this transition is that the 485 has a fixed end date while EOIs and state nomination have no guaranteed timeline. A graduate can hold a competitive-looking EOI for months without an invitation, and state programs open, pause and close at different points in the program year, which runs from July to June.

Because of that, people in this position generally think about timing early: when their English test results and skills assessment expire, when the states they are interested in typically open their programs, and what their fallback options are if the 485 approaches its end date without an invitation. Some people consider other visas in parallel — for example, employer-sponsored routes or further study — but which combination makes sense in a specific case is not something a general article can tell you. Note also that since 1 July 2024, 485 holders cannot apply for a Student (subclass 500) visa while in Australia, which removed one fallback that was previously common. If your 485 end date is inside the next 12 months, that is usually the point at which a conversation with a MARA-registered agent becomes most valuable.

What happens in between: bridging visas

If a 485 holder is invited and lodges a valid 190 application while in Australia holding their 485, the Department generally grants a bridging visa at the time of application. A Bridging Visa A does not come into effect immediately — it activates only if and when the current substantive visa ceases, and until then the 485 and its conditions continue to operate as normal.

The conditions attached to a bridging visa are set at grant and are shown on the grant notice and in VEVO, the Department's Visa Entitlement Verification Online system. Anyone relying on a bridging visa for work should check those documents rather than assume the conditions match their previous visa. The critical sequencing point is that the bridging visa comes from lodging the visa application, which is only possible after an invitation. Holding an EOI when the 485 expires does not keep anyone lawful — a separate visa would be needed to remain in Australia at that point. What that separate visa might be, and what applying for it would mean for a skilled application, are case-specific questions for a registered agent.

Common complications

A few patterns come up repeatedly in this transition. The nominated occupation may sit on some states' lists but not others, or move off a list mid-year. Age matters at a precise moment — the requirement to be under 45 applies at the time of invitation, which can bite for people who graduated later in life. English test results and skills assessments have validity periods that need to line up with the invitation and application. And state criteria can change between the day someone starts planning and the day they seek nomination.

None of these are reasons a transition cannot happen — they are reasons the sequencing deserves care. A MARA-registered migration agent can look at your qualifications, occupation, location and dates, and give you a professional read on how the current published criteria apply to your situation and what order to do things in. If you want that kind of review, Migratio can match you with MARA-registered agents who work with skilled visa cases.

Can I apply for the 190 while I am on a 485?

A 485 holder can lodge an Expression of Interest and, if nominated by a state and invited, apply for the 190 from inside Australia. The EOI itself is not an application and grants no status. Whether the published criteria are met in a particular case is something to confirm against the Home Affairs website or with a MARA-registered agent.

Does lodging an EOI extend my stay in Australia?

No. An EOI in SkillSelect is an expression of interest, not a visa application. It does not generate a bridging visa and has no effect on when a 485 ends. A bridging visa is generally only granted when a valid visa application is lodged onshore.

What happens if my 485 expires before I receive an invitation?

If no visa application has been lodged, no bridging visa arises from the EOI, so a person in that position would need some other visa to remain in Australia lawfully. What the realistic options are, and how each would interact with a future skilled application, depends on the individual case — that is a question for a MARA-registered agent well before the expiry date.

Do all states nominate the same occupations for the 190?

No. Each state and territory publishes its own occupation lists and nomination criteria, and these change through the program year. An occupation can be open in one state, closed in another, and subject to extra requirements such as local residence or work experience in a third. Always check the current published criteria of the specific state.