Two Year Study Requirement for Skilled Migration

You need to meet the Australian study requirement if you want to be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485 and/or if you want to claim points for the General Skilled Migration (subclass 189 visa, 190 visa, and 489 visa).

If you are applying for the 485 Graduate visa, among other requirements, you must meet the Australian study requirement in the six months immediately before you apply for the 485 visa.

To meet the Australian study requirement your registered course of studies must be equivalent to at least 2 academic years or 92 weeks of study. You can take longer to complete your qualification; however, it cannot be met in less than 16 calendar months i.e. the degree or qualification must have taken at least 16 months to complete.

For example, if the total of your registered course is 78 weeks and you take 92 weeks or more to complete, you will not be considered as having met the Australian study requirement.

IMPORTANT: it is perfectly ok to have breaks in between semesters (e.g. from semester 1 to semester 2), but the total registered course duration must be equivalent to at least 92 weeks or 2 years of study. Remember, the Australia study requirement is measured by the amount of study you have completed, NOT the time you have taken to complete your studies.

You can complete one or more degrees, diploma, advanced diploma or trade qualifications but it must be awarded by an Australian education provider. Further, your degree(s) or qualification(s) must also be registered with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

It is extremely important that your course of study is registered with CRICOS to be eligible for the Graduate visa or if you want to claim points for the General Skilled Migration. This is because the Department uses CRICOS to determine the standard duration of the course!

In addition, to meet the Australian study requirement your course of study must have all content and instruction conducted in English.

IMPORTANT: if you had completed an English language proficiency course or enabling programs, this cannot be counted with all your other qualifications to meet the Australian study requirements

If you are applying for the subclass 485 graduate visa, regardless of the visa stream, your course of study must have been completed while you were holding a valid Student visa.

In addition, if you are applying for the Graduate Stream of the Graduate Temporary visa subclass 485 and have taken more than one qualification, your qualifications must be closely related to the occupation that you are nominating yourself for.

Failed Subjects Cannot Be Counted Towards the Australian Study Requirement
If you had failed a subject(s) during your registered course of study, the same subject that you had repeated cannot be counted towards the Australian study requirement again.

IMPORTANT: only successful courses of study will be counted towards the Australian study requirement.

You can be transferred from an overseas education provider or participate in an exchange program offshore, but you must meet the Australian study requirement to be eligible for the 485 Graduate visa or to count points for the General Skilled Migration.

It is important to note that, for the registered course to be counted towards meeting the Australia Study Requirement, you must be physically present in Australia studying those registered courses at an Australian education provider.

For example, if you were completing 3 years bachelor’s degree which consisted of 6 semesters, you must be physically present in Australia studying 4 of those semesters (equivalent to 2 years or 92 weeks) at an Australian education provider to meet the Australian study requirement.