Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Enrol in a further course vs Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa
A graduate who meets the 485 criteria takes the 485 and uses its years to work, build experience and the skills assessment, and apply for the next visa; it can be lodged once, onshore, and a further course can follow it only from outside Australia now that onshore student applications are closed for most. A graduate who does not meet the 485, or who needs a higher qualification for the occupation, enrols again, at international fees and with the 48-hour work limit, and keeps the 485 for the end of the higher course if the age limit of 35 still allows it. Taking the 485 now and studying later is no longer an onshore sequence; the order is decided at graduation.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Work
- 48 hours a fortnight in session on a student visa · Any employer, any job, full-time
- Cost
- Tuition at international fees plus $2,500 for the visa · $5,750 for the visa
- Length
- The course · 18 months to several years by stream
- Where lodged
- From outside Australia for most since 2 October 2026 · In Australia within 6 months of completion
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Enrol in a further course | Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Work | 48 hours a fortnight in session on a student visa | Any employer, any job, full-time |
| Cost | Tuition at international fees plus $2,500 for the visa | $5,750 for the visa |
| Length | The course | 18 months to several years by stream |
| Where lodged | From outside Australia for most since 2 October 2026 | In Australia within 6 months of completion |
| Keeps the 485 for later | Yes, if under 35 at the later application | One 485 only, apart from the second regional 485 |
| Path to PR | A higher qualification can add points and open occupations | The time builds experience, the assessment and the next application |
| Watch out | A second low-level course reads badly for the Genuine Student requirement | The 6-month window and the age limit |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A graduate who meets the 485 criteria takes the 485 and uses its years to work, build experience and the skills assessment, and apply for the next visa; it can be lodged once, onshore, and a further course can follow it only from outside Australia now that onshore student applications are closed for most. A graduate who does not meet the 485, or who needs a higher qualification for the occupation, enrols again, at international fees and with the 48-hour work limit, and keeps the 485 for the end of the higher course if the age limit of 35 still allows it. Taking the 485 now and studying later is no longer an onshore sequence; the order is decided at graduation.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Enrol in a further course or Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa — which is better?
A graduate who meets the 485 criteria takes the 485 and uses its years to work, build experience and the skills assessment, and apply for the next visa; it can be lodged once, onshore, and a further course can follow it only from outside Australia now that onshore student applications are closed for most. A graduate who does not meet the 485, or who needs a higher qualification for the occupation, enrols again, at international fees and with the 48-hour work limit, and keeps the 485 for the end of the higher course if the age limit of 35 still allows it. Taking the 485 now and studying later is no longer an onshore sequence; the order is decided at graduation.
What is the main difference between the Enrol in a further course and the Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa?
Work: Enrol in a further course — 48 hours a fortnight in session on a student visa; Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa — Any employer, any job, full-time. Cost: Enrol in a further course — Tuition at international fees plus $2,500 for the visa; Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa — $5,750 for the visa. Length: Enrol in a further course — The course; Take the 485 Temporary Graduate visa — 18 months to several years by stream.
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