New 2026 Fee Rules for the Australian Subclass 485 Visa
The Department of Home Affairs has struck at the 485 visa once again — why does the Department seem to have it in for this one visa?
The cries over the fee hike to AUD 4,600 had barely died down when another quiet move was made. In the past few days, we’ve spotted that the internal 485 assessment guidelines (PAM) have also been quietly amended, with a small addition to the two-year study requirement for the 485 post-study work visa. Previously, the 485 two-year study requirement allowed you to piece together any combination of qualifying courses, and there were no timing requirements around when older and newer courses were completed. For example, if you had done a 1.5-year course 10 years ago and then came back to do a 1-year course, that would fully satisfy the requirement.
Breakdown of the New Rules
Under the new rule, if you are using multiple courses to meet the two-year study requirement, the newer course must start in the same year as, or the year following, the older course in order to be counted cumulatively (see hero image).
For instance:
- Eligible: graduate from a bachelor’s degree in June 2026 and start a master’s in July 2026
- Eligible: finish a 1.5-year master’s in December 2026 and start another master’s in February 2027
- Not eligible: complete a 1.5-year master’s in Australia in 2024, then start another 1-year master’s in 2026
The continuous-course rule was already foreshadowed with the GD (Genuine Student) changes at the end of 2024; now it effectively applies to courses at every level, but for the moment the new rule only applies to 485 post-study work visa applications. The ASR (Australian Study Requirement) for study points on the skilled migration side can still be satisfied by freely combining multiple courses without them needing to run back-to-back.
So it really does feel targeted at the 485. In the last few years the 485 has truly experienced what it’s like to be built up then torn down — at its peak, extensions were being handed out freely, with that cohort’s visas running all the way to 2027–2028. But within a year, it fell from grace and has been pummelled ever since. The Department now seems to want students to leave the moment they graduate — if you can’t find a pathway to permanent residency once your 485 ends, don’t linger a second longer.
How the Tightening of Other ‘4-Series’ Temporary Visas Ties Into the New 485 Rules
It’s not just the 485 — the Department of Home Affairs seems to have a particular dislike for the ‘4-series’ temporary visas in general:
- Cleanly wrapped up the Subclass 408 COVID-19 Pandemic Event stream in short order
- Subclass 407 first went through stricter GS (genuine student/genuine stay) scrutiny; from today, applications can only be lodged after the nomination has been approved, and, as a further layer, only after the sponsorship has been approved. All three steps must be completed separately, with waits of six-plus months at each stage. The 407 has become pretty unappealing, and we expect few people will apply for it going forward.
- Subclass 491 grants are also especially slow. On the surface, the government talks up regional support, but we’re not seeing any real priority given to regional visas in practice.
- 491-to-191 transitions have been dragging for several months now too — we’re seeing a lot of petitions about it.
For those of you on the remaining 4-series temporary visas — how’s everyone holding up? Who’s next in line for the hammer?
The nearly 100,000-strong Subclass 482? Or the workhorse working-holiday visas, Subclass 462 / 417?
One more reminder: on the 19th–28th of the month, BPAY payments will be unavailable. If your visa expires before the end of the month, lodge as early as possible. Let’s hope the Department isn’t quietly cooking up another fee hike (just before the 485 fee increase, BPAY payments were also temporarily suspended for a week).
