From a 485 Visa to Permanent Residency: Your Realistic Routes

A temporary graduate visa (subclass 485) does not lead to permanent residency by itself. It gives you a fixed period to live and work here. It is a clock, not a pathway. Every PR route open to a 485 holder is a separate visa with its own criteria, and each one depends on something you may not have yet: enough points and an invitation, a state nomination, an employer, or more time in skilled work.

This article sorts the routes by what you are missing right now. For the 485 itself — who can apply, the streams and the charge — see our temporary graduate 485 visa page.

Verified against the Migration Regulations 1994, Compilation No. 288 (F2026C00667, in force 1 July 2026), and the Migration Act 1958, Compilation No. 171 (C2026C00232, in force 4 June 2026).

Some readers will not have a realistic PR route before their 485 ends. We would rather say that plainly than suggest a route exists when it does not.

First, check your 485 end date and what you hold

Your 485 lets you stay "until a date specified by the Minister" (clause 485.513). That date is on your grant notice, and you can check it in VEVO. Write it down. Every decision below is a race against it.

Also note your stream, and whether your grant notice shows condition 8610. That condition is imposed on a second 485 granted on the regional basis, and it limits where you can live, work and study (clause 485.613 and Schedule 8, condition 8610).

The routes from a 485 at a glance

The 491 and 494 are provisional visas, not permanent ones. They are steps toward PR, with their own later requirements.

Points-tested routes: 189, 190 and 491

The three points-tested visas share a core. For each, the Regulations require that:

• you were invited in writing to apply (clauses 189.221, 190.211, 491.213);
• at the time of invitation, a relevant assessing authority had assessed your skills as suitable for your nominated occupation (clauses 189.222, 190.212, 491.214);
• at the time of invitation, you had competent English (clauses 189.223, 190.213, 491.215); and
• your points score is not less than the score stated in your invitation (clauses 189.224, 190.214, 491.216).

One detail catches 485 holders. Each of those skills-assessment clauses says the assessment must not have been "for a Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) visa". If you got a skills assessment only to support your 485 application, check with the assessing authority whether it is the right kind before you rely on it for PR.

You cannot lodge a 189, 190 or 491 without that written invitation. We do not publish invitation scores on this page because they change with each round. How points are counted is in our points test explainer.

190 or 491? The 190 needs a state or territory nomination (clause 190.215 requires that the nomination has not been withdrawn). The 491 needs either a state or territory nomination or a sponsor the Minister has accepted (clause 491.217). The 190 is permanent; the 491 is provisional. Which is realistic depends on the current state and territory programs, which change often. Check the program and the 190 and 491 pages before you plan around either.

Employer-sponsored routes

If an employer wants to keep you, there are three routes to know about.

The 482 as a bridge. The Skills in Demand (482) visa is a temporary employer-sponsored visa. Its current streams in the Regulations are Specialist Skills, Core Skills and Labour Agreement (Subdivisions 482.22 to 482.24). For many people it is the step before a permanent 186 through the Temporary Residence Transition stream. That transition has its own rules. See how the 482 to 186 transition works.

186 Direct Entry — straight to PR, but hard from a 485. The Direct Entry stream does not require you to hold a 482 first. Under clauses 186.231 to 186.234, at the time of application:

• you must not have turned 45;
• you must have competent English;
• the position must have been nominated by your employer and approved by the Minister, and you must apply no more than 6 months after that approval; and
• you must have a suitable skills assessment (again, not one made for a 485) and at least 3 years' full-time employment in the occupation at the required skill level.

The age, English and skills-and-experience requirements each have an exception for "a class of persons specified by the Minister in an instrument". Whether you fall in one depends on the current instrument, so check before you assume. Many recent graduates do not yet have 3 years of full-time skilled work, which is why Direct Entry is often not open to them.

494 — regional employer route. If a regional employer wants to sponsor you, the 494 is a provisional employer-sponsored option. See the 494 visa page.

Can I get another 485?

Sometimes, but the rules are narrow. Clause 485.211 says you cannot get a 485 as the main applicant if you have previously held, as main applicant:

• a 485 in the Graduate Work or Post-Vocational Education Work stream; or
• a 485 in the Post-Study Work or Post-Higher Education Work stream — unless you apply in the Post-Higher Education Work stream and meet one of the regional clauses (485.232 to 485.235).

Those regional clauses require, among other things, that you still hold your first 485 when you apply for the second one (clause 485.232(1)(a)), that your first 485 was granted on the basis of study in a regional area, and that you lived only in a regional area for at least 2 years immediately before applying (and, if you worked or studied, did that only in a regional area too).

There are overall limits as well. You cannot have held 3 Post-Study Work 485s or 2 Post-Higher Education Work 485s (clause 485.211(d)). The total number of 485s you hold, including the new one, must not exceed 4, and only one can be a regional second 485 (Schedule 1, item 1229(4)(aa)). The Replacement stream required applications to be made before 1 July 2024 (item 1229(5)(a)).

In short: if you studied and lived outside a regional area, a second 485 is generally not open to you under these clauses.

What if your 485 ends before PR is decided?

If you lodge a valid PR application in Australia while your 485 is still in effect, you may be granted a bridging visa A. Under clause 010.511, a bridging visa granted on a substantive visa application can come into effect when your 485 ends, and lets you stay while the application is decided. What your bridging visa allows is on our bridging visas page.

The risk comes if that application is refused and you no longer hold a substantive visa. Section 48 of the Migration Act then limits which visas you can apply for in Australia. See the section 48 bar explained. Lodging a weak application just to "stay on a bridging visa" can close more doors than it opens.

Routes that don't depend on your job

If you are in a genuine relationship with an Australian partner, a partner visa is a separate route. It does not depend on your 485 or your occupation. See the onshore partner visa and offshore partner visa pages for who can sponsor.

Frequently asked questions

Can a 485 visa lead to PR directly? No. The 485 is a temporary visa. To become a permanent resident you need to be granted a separate permanent visa, such as a 189, 190, 186 or partner visa.

Should I aim for 190 or 491 from a 485? It depends on which state and territory programs you fit. The 190 is permanent; the 491 is provisional. The 190 needs a state or territory nomination; the 491 needs a nomination or an accepted sponsor.

Can my employer sponsor me for PR straight from a 485? Possibly, through the 186 Direct Entry stream. You generally need a suitable skills assessment and at least 3 years' full-time work in the occupation, unless a Ministerial instrument covers you (clause 186.234).

Do I have to go onto a 482 first to get a 186? No. Direct Entry does not require a 482. But if you do not meet the Direct Entry work experience requirement, a 482 and then the Temporary Residence Transition stream is the usual alternative.

Can I apply for a second 485? Only in limited cases, mainly the regional second 485 under clauses 485.232 to 485.235. You must still hold your first 485 when you apply (clause 485.232(1)(a)). It also requires study in a regional area and 2 years living only in a regional area before you apply.

What happens if my 485 expires while my PR application is being processed? If you lodged a valid application in Australia before your 485 ended, a bridging visa A may keep you lawful while it is decided. If that application is later refused, section 48 may limit what you can apply for next.

Does my time on a 485 count toward citizenship? We have not covered citizenship residence rules in this article. Check the Department of Home Affairs citizenship pages or ask us.

Get your route assessed before your 485 end date

The mistake we see is waiting until the last few months of a 485 to plan. By then, routes that needed a skills assessment, an employer nomination or a state application may no longer fit the time left.

Migration Vision works with graduates across Australia and offshore. Nobody can promise a PR outcome. What we can do is check your end date, your skills assessment, your work history and your options against the current rules, and tell you honestly which routes are realistic. Book a PR pathway assessment.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Last reviewed 27 September 2026 — Schedule 1 item 1229 and Schedule 2 clauses 485.211, 485.232 to 485.235, 485.513, 485.613, 189.221 to 189.224, 190.211 to 190.215, 491.213 to 491.217, 186.231 to 186.234, Subdivisions 482.22 to 482.24 and clause 010.511 verified against the Migration Regulations 1994, Compilation No. 288 (F2026C00667, in force 1 July 2026); section 48 against the Migration Act 1958, Compilation No. 171 (C2026C00232, in force 4 June 2026), on legislation.gov.au. Figures current as at 27 September 2026; confirm with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement. This article is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances, and the law may change.