Second 485 Visa Explained: who actually qualifies (2026)

The COVID-era 'second 485' closed in 2024. What replaced it — the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream — needs regional study and regional living, and the alternatives if you don't qualify. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 Is there a 'second 485' visa in 2026?
  2. 0:11 The old Replacement stream is closed
  3. 0:22 Second Post-Higher Education Work stream
  4. 0:33 Two conditions, both required
  5. 0:47 How long the second visa runs
  6. 1:10 English was tested for your FIRST 485,
  7. 1:25 Held a Post-Vocational Education Work 485?
  8. 1:36 What it costs
  9. 1:56 Start checking your options
  10. 2:07 Where to read more

Transcript

Is there really a second 485? Not the version most people mean — that one closed years ago.

The COVID-era Replacement stream, which let 485 holders reapply after lost time, closed to new applicants from 1 July 2024.

What's current is different in both name and rules: the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream, running since 1 July 2023 — and it's regional-only.

Two things both have to be true. Your original degree was completed on a campus in a designated regional area. And you've lived only in a designated regional area for at least 2 years right before you apply.

How long you get depends on the category. A Category 2 area generally adds 1 year. A Category 3 area adds 2.

You also need to be 35 or under when you apply. That rises to under 50 if a research Master's or Doctoral degree got you your first visa, or you hold a Hong Kong or British National Overseas passport.

There's no fresh English test for this visa. You already met it for your first Post-Higher Education Work 485 — IELTS 6.5 overall, with no band below 5.5, for tests from 7 August 2025.

And it only works if your first 485 was a Post-Higher Education Work visa. A Post-Vocational Education Work 485 doesn't lead to this second one at all.

The visa application charge is currently $5,750 for most applicants.

Don't qualify? The usual next steps are an employer-sponsored subclass 482, or a points-tested visa: 189, 190, or 491.

A sponsorship search or a skills assessment can each take months. Start checking your options around 12 months before your 485 expires, not in the final weeks.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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