Australia is a great place to study. It provides high-quality courses, a fantastic lifestyle and a welcoming environment for international students.
A Student Visa can be associated with different types of studies:
- Linguistic (General English, preparation for IELTS, Cambridge or PTE, etc.);
- Professional (VET courses, Vocational Education & Training);
- University (Bachelor’s Degree, Master, and Ph.D.).
We will guide you through the complex process of obtaining a Student Visa in Australia, from the choice of a college to the enrolment and at the end to get your visa. We will provide everything for you!
Contact us to have more information and to get your free consultancy.
Is there an age limit?
There is no age limit on applying for a student visa for Australia.
What can you do with this visa?
- It allows you to study and work in Australia throughout the duration of your course. You are entitled to work 40 hours per fortnight (2 weeks) during your studies,
and full-time during your school breaks.
Part-time work in Australia (4-5 hours a day) has the advantage of being well-paid and available everywhere: it allows you to cover food, accommodation and transportation costs, as well as the possibility to save some money. School schedules can be easily combined with working hours.
In order to work, you must have a Tax File Number, and it may be useful to open a bank account to manage payments.
The student visa is the perfect solution to extend your stay in Australia after a Working Holiday Visa or a Work and Holiday Visa.
- You can include your family members and/or your partner when lodging your student visa application.
Your partner will be given work rights depending on your course type and if he/she will also be allowed to study for a maximum of 3 months.
How long does the visa last?
Your student visa will last for the duration of your study program (including holiday periods) and will allow you some time to remain in Australia at the end of your course. This time can range from one to three months, depending on the length of your course and the month in which it ends.
The program you choose must be from 12 weeks up to 5 years in order to be eligible for a Student Visa.
Depending on the length of your course, your visa will be granted with the following additional times once you finish your studies:
- For courses below 10 months in duration, you will be given 1 month extra.
- For courses over the 10-month threshold, you will be given 2 extra months.
- For courses over 10 months in which the term end date is between November or December, you will be given 3 extra months.
How much does it cost?
The visa application fee is currently AU$575, which needs to be paid when you submit your application. Please note that visa application charges are reviewed annually on July 1. If you have dependents joining you on your visa there will be additional fees payable when you make your application.
If I apply for the visa outside Australia, once I obtain it, when can I enter the country?
You can get entry since the health insurance becomes effective.
The government might even grant 2 months before the course starts, but as long as it does not start you will NOT be able to work.
Renewal of the Student Visa in Australia
You can renew your Student Visa as many times as you want, as long as you are enrolled in a course approved by CRICOS. However, you need to be advised that if you have had multiple student visas in the past, the Government may question the genuineness of your application.
Our staff at Australian Way Agency can explain all your options relating to extending or renewing your student visa.
Requirements needed to apply for Student Visa in Australia:
- You will need to provide the COE (Confirmation of Enrolment), which identifies start and end dates. It is possible to combine multiple courses within the same visa, for example, General English plus VET course.
COEs can only be issued by Australian schools registered under CRICOS framework (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students).
- Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement:
The Australian Government operates a Student Visa Program for persons who want to study in Australia. A successful applicant must be both a genuine temporary entrant and a genuine student.
An applicant who is a genuine temporary entrant will have circumstances that support a genuine intention to enter and remain in Australia temporarily, notwithstanding the potential for this intention to change over time to an intention to utilize lawful means to remain in Australia for an extended period or permanently.
For further information please refer to this link
- Financial capacity:
Declaring to possess the necessary funds for the course fees and living costs for you and your dependent family members. (a bank statement of at least AU$ 20,290 might be requested)
- English proficiency:
Some students may need to provide an up-to-date certificate of an English language test as part of the Student Visa application. This will depend on what course you wish to study.
Good news for those citizens and passport holders of one of the following English-speaking countries: USA, Canada, New Zealand, UK and Republic of Ireland, as they will be exempt from this language requirement.
- Health and character:
The student and family members must be in good health.
You might need to undergo health examinations as part of the visa application process.
This can depend on:
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- the type of visa that you are applying for
- your country’s level of tuberculosis risk
- your intended activities in Australia
- the presence of any significant medical conditions
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- Overseas student health cover (OSHC):
You must have adequate health insurance while in Australia. Students can show this by obtaining Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) which provides medical and hospital insurance.
Other things you need to know:
- During your courses, you must have good attendance, least 80%, and for VET courses you also have to achieve satisfactory course progress.
- Other factors will be considered for approval of your visa.
Combined country and provider immigration risk model is the combined immigration risk outcomes of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship.
The Risk level is ranked from 1 (lowest risk) to 4 (highest risk) for each country and school provider.
In short, the required steps are:
- Contact us
- Choose the city and the course to attend
- Enroll to the course (through application form) and get your Letter of Offer
- Pay the 1st installment (3 months of course + enrolment fee+ material fee)
- Get your COE (Confirmation of enrolment)
- Pay OSHC (private health insurance)
- Apply the Student Visa (subclass 500)
- Get your visa
- Book your flight (in case you have applied from outside Australia)
