On a 485 and Planning More Study for PR Points? Why You Can't Lodge a Student Visa Onshore in 2026
Answers whether a 485 holder can lodge a Student visa (500) onshore in 2026, and what the whole-subclass exclusion means for PR points planning.
If you hold a Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) visa and are weighing up another course to strengthen your permanent residence points position, you cannot lodge a Student visa (subclass 500) application inside Australia. The exclusion is in Specification of Categories of Visas that Preclude a Person from Lodging a Student Visa Application in Australia 2016/016, made under subitem 1222(5)(c) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994. As of the September 2026 version of that page on the Federal Register of Legislation, Subclass 485 appears in the instrument's Schedule as excluded in its entirety, and the Schedule shown is Compilation No. 1, dated 1 July 2024. What follows is general information about how that instrument is framed, not an assessment of your own circumstances; the text can be amended, and the official current version is what governs.
Can a 485 holder lodge a Student visa (subclass 500) application onshore?
No. The instrument specifies "substantive temporary visas" for the purposes of subitem 1222(4) of the Regulations, and the Schedule it carries lists Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) with the scope "the whole subclass". There is no stream-by-stream carve-out and no condition attached — holding a 485 is itself the disqualifying fact.
That is different from saying your study plan is impossible. It says the application cannot be lodged while you are in Australia on that visa.
Where does the exclusion actually come from?
The instrument is short and does one job. The Minister specified the substantive temporary visas listed in the Schedule, using the power in subitem 1222(5)(c) of Schedule 1 to the Regulations, and the Schedule is the operative list.
| Item | Visa subclass | Streams or scope covered |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subclass 403 (Temporary Work (International Relations)) | Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream only |
| 2 | Subclass 426 (Domestic Worker (Temporary) — Diplomatic or Consular) | The whole subclass |
| 3 | Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) | The whole subclass |
| 4 | Subclass 600 (Visitor) | The whole subclass |
| 5 | Subclass 601 (Electronic Travel Authority) | The whole subclass |
| 6 | Subclass 602 (Medical Treatment) | The whole subclass |
| 7 | Subclass 651 (eVisitor) | The whole subclass |
| 8 | Subclass 771 (Transit) | The whole subclass |
| 9 | Subclass 988 (Maritime Crew) | The whole subclass |
| 10 | Subclass 995 (Diplomatic (Temporary)) | Visa granted to an applicant who satisfied the primary criteria |
Two amendment details matter if you are checking the version rather than a summary. The compilation includes the Migration (Specification of Categories of Visas that Preclude a Person from Lodging a Student Visa Application in Australia) Amendment Instrument (LIN 24/051) 2024 (F2024L00787), registered 26 June 2024 and commenced 1 July 2024; the Schedule was repealed and substituted by that instrument. The compiled text also does not show uncommenced amendments, so the Register for the compiled law is the place to confirm whether anything further has been made but not yet commenced.
Why "the whole subclass" matters more than "a stream"
Compare item 3 with items 1 and 10. Subclass 403 is caught only in its Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream, and Subclass 995 only where the visa was granted to an applicant who satisfied the primary criteria. Those entries are narrow.
Subclass 485 has no such qualifier. Every stream within it sits inside the exclusion, so there is no version of a 485 — however it was granted, whatever it was granted for — that leaves an onshore student visa application available.
What does this do to a PR points plan built around further study?
The 485 is often treated as a buffer: work for a period, add a qualification, then test the points position again. The instrument cuts the mid-course version of that plan. You cannot be partway through a 485, decide a further course would help, and file a student visa application from inside Australia the same month.
Assume an applicant finishes a qualification, moves onto a 485, works for a year, and then decides an additional course would improve their points position. On these rules, that decision cannot be executed onshore while the 485 is held. The study decision has to be made either before the 485 is taken up — while holding a visa that is not on the Schedule — or from outside Australia.
The instrument says nothing about how any course is counted for points, and nothing about eligibility for any permanent visa. Whether a particular qualification adds points depends on the points rules that apply to the visa you eventually target, and this article cannot tell you what a course is worth for your case.
If you switch to a visitor or transit visa, does the onshore route reopen?
No. That is where the rest of the Schedule bites. Subclass 600 (Visitor), 601 (Electronic Travel Authority), 651 (eVisitor), 771 (Transit) and 602 (Medical Treatment) are each listed as the whole subclass.
So "wait out the 485 on a visitor visa and then apply" is not available either. The common short-term holding visas are all on the same list.
Does the instrument deal with offshore applications, fees or processing?
No. It is expressed in terms of precluding a person from lodging a Student visa application in Australia, and it says nothing about applications made from outside Australia. Whether an offshore application is viable depends on the criteria for the visa itself, not on this list.
The instrument also carries no points values, no visa application charges and no processing times. Those sit in other instruments and official pages, and reading them into this Schedule would be a guess.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) while my 485 is still valid?
No. Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) is listed in the Schedule to the 2016/016 instrument as excluded in its entirety, so holding it precludes lodging a Student visa application in Australia. The exclusion applies for as long as you hold that visa.
Does the exclusion cover only one 485 stream?
No. The Schedule records "the whole subclass" for Subclass 485, with no stream limitation. That contrasts with Subclass 403, which is caught only in its Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream.
I finished my 485 and moved to a Visitor visa (600) — can I now apply onshore?
No. Subclass 600 is also listed as the whole subclass in the same Schedule. Moving from a 485 to a visitor visa does not create an onshore student visa pathway.
Does this instrument stop me applying for a Student visa from outside Australia?
The instrument is framed around lodging a Student visa application in Australia and does not address applications made from outside Australia. Any offshore application still has to meet the criteria for the visa itself.
Has the list changed recently?
The Schedule was repealed and substituted by the Migration (Specification of Categories of Visas that Preclude a Person from Lodging a Student Visa Application in Australia) Amendment Instrument (LIN 24/051) 2024 (F2024L00787), registered 26 June 2024 and commenced 1 July 2024. The compilation currently shown is Compilation No. 1, dated 1 July 2024.
Does the instrument affect how many PR points my study is worth?
No. The instrument specifies only which visas preclude an onshore Student visa application. It contains no points values and no rules about how Australian study is counted toward a points test.