Student Visa
Do I need a student visa?
You need student visa if:
- you would like to study in Australia for more than 3 months,
- you would like to work while studying in Australia, and
- you are not from any eligible coutry for Working holiday visa.
What are my rights and obligations?
Student visa is the most common type of visa if your main goal is to come to Australia to study.
There are several conditions of Student Visa, the main ones are:
- You cannot work more than 20 hours per week when studying your course
- During school holidays, you can work as many hours as you wish
- You cannot start working before your course has started
- You must maintain good attendance and academic records at your school
- You must have health insurance during your stay in Australia.
How long can I stay in Australia with my student visa?
You can stay in Australia during your course and meanwhile you are waiting for a new term or new course to start.
During your course you must have good attendance:
- at English language schools the attendance have to be at least 80%,
- at other types of schools (colleges, universities) the attendance is not required by your visa condition, but you still have to achieve satisfactory course progress.
Applying for a student visa
In Australia, the application for a student visa depends on:
- your nationality
- and what type of course you are going to study
These factors (nationality and course) will determine how comprehensive will be your application, i.e. which level of assesment will be applicable to your application.
What means Assessment Level?
The Assessment Level is ranked from 1 to 5 for each country:
- Assessment Level 1 countries have low immigration risk
- Assessment Level 5 represent high immigration risk
Different Assessment Levels will require different documents for Student Visa application for Australia. Generally, the higher the Assessment Level, the more documentation you will need to support your visa application.
Click here to check which Assessment Level is applicable to your country for the main course type you are going to study.
Different categories of courses require different visa class
The student visa has several separate subclasses for each education area. When applying for your visa, you need to apply for the visa of your primary (principal) course. The subclasses are:
- Subclass 570 ELICOS (as a course on its own)
- Subclass 571 Schools (Primary/Secondary schools)
- Subclass 572 Vocational Education and Training
- Subclass 573 Higher Education (Bachelor, Post Graduate, Masters)
- Subclass 574 Post Graduate research
- Subclass 575 Non award (includes foundation, bridging or other courses that do not lead to a degree, diploma or other formal award)
What are the general requirements to apply for visa?
- Good character
- Sound health
- Have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for yourself and your family
- No debts in Australia
What do I need to apply for a student visa?
- You need to be studying a full time course
- The provider of the course must be registered (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students - CRICOS)
- Financial documents > Depending on the Assessment Level of the country (see above), you will need to prove you have enough money to cover costs such as air tickets, course tuition fees, and general living costs in Australia.
> On average you will need to show you have at least AUD $12,000 in your bank account. However, Immigration may ask for more evidence of financial support depending on your Assessment Level.
- English level
> Depending on what course you are applying for, the school may require an IELTS score to prove your English level and abilities > Generally, schools will accept IELTS results as evidence of your English knowledge> If you need to sit an official IELTS exam you will need to book this exam
Immigration will also consider
- Whether you will follow the conditions of your student visa
- The situation of your home country
- Academic history and record of what you have done related to the course you are going to study
- Your immigration history in Australia
Medical Examination
You will be asked to have a medical examination by an authorised doctor when you apply for any visa. If you want to extend your visa, you will be asked for medical examinations only if your last examination was more than 12 months before your application.
The examination is a part of your visa application.
Medical examination is usually required for students with an Assessment Level 2-5.
General Procedure for applying for Student Visa
Below is a guide that shows the main steps when applying for a student visa. This process will vary depending on the Assessment Level of the student:
- Submit school application
- Receive Letter of Offer and Invoice from school
- Pay your course fees
- Receive an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE) and receipt of payment
- Fill in your Student Visa application form
- Submit Visa application form, eCOE, all documents as requested
- Wait for Immigration to process your application
- If approved, Immigration will need passport to enter visa sticker
- If refused, you will receive a letter from Immigration stating the refusal, and if applicable, they state the missing documents
- Consider to re-submit application form/submit further documentation if requested - in this case, fines apply.