If you are applying for a General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa or a Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, meeting the “Australian Study Requirement” is crucial. It is a mandatory requirement for the Subclass 485 visa and can also give GSM applicants (such as Subclass 189, 190, and 491 visas) 5 valuable points towards their overall points test score.
Here is a complete, easy-to-understand breakdown of the 5 elements you must meet to claim these points.
To successfully claim your 5 points, you must satisfy the Department that you have completed one or more degrees, diplomas, or trade qualifications from an Australian educational institution that meet all five of the following conditions:
You can only claim points for courses that are officially registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). If a course is not CRICOS registered (or gets deregistered before you finish), it generally cannot be counted.
You cannot rush the process to claim points faster. Even if you fast-track your degree by taking summer or winter semesters, the total duration from your course commencement to your completion date must be at least 16 calendar months.
Note: You do not have to be physically in Australia for every single day of those 16 months. It is perfectly fine to travel overseas for holidays between semesters.
The Department defines “two academic years” as at least 92 weeks of registered study based on a full-time study load.
All instruction for your course must have been conducted in English. If you studied a foreign language, it must only be an incidental part of your course (generally no more than 10% of your studies).
With a few exceptions (like specific COVID-19 concessions or certain Recognised Prior Learning), you must have been physically present in Australia while holding a visa that legally authorized you to study.
Only study that results in a Degree, Diploma, or Trade Qualification can be counted.
What DOES NOT Count? A standalone Certificate II, or a Certificate III / IV in a non-trade discipline (like a Cert IV in Business Management) cannot be used on its own to meet the requirement. Similarly, English preparation courses (like a Cert IV in EAL) taken purely as an entry requirement for a Bachelor’s degree do not count.
Yes! You do not need to complete a single two-year course. You can combine multiple eligible qualifications (like Cert III, IV and Diploma) to meet the 92-week requirement.
Nested / Packaged Courses: If you complete a series of smaller modules that ultimately result in an eligible qualification, this counts! For example:
When does your course officially end? It is not the day of your graduation ceremony (the date your degree is conferred).
For immigration purposes, your completion date is the exact date your final exam results or the confirmation that you met all academic requirements were published or made available to you (e.g., via a letter, an online portal, or a university bulletin board).
Why this matters: For many visas, you must apply within 6 months of completing your qualification. If you wait until your graduation ceremony months later, you might accidentally miss this strict 6-month deadline!
The rules around changing institutions, claiming Recognised Prior Learning (RPL), and combining overlapping degrees can be incredibly complex. One miscalculation in your CRICOS weeks can result in a visa refusal.
If you are unsure whether your studies meet the strict 2-Year Australian Study Requirement, our migration team is here to help.
Book an appointment to find out whether you are eligible to claim 5 points or apply for the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa by meeting the Australian Study Requirement.
