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

 

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, and they may vary, but the main ones are:

  • You cannot work more than 40 hours per fortnight 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 progress at your school
  • You must have health insurance during your stay in Australia.
  • You can include dependents under your visa – partner and children – they are allowed to study for up to 3 months (partner) and work a maximum of 40 hours per fortnight. Please note you will be required to prove your relationship with the dependents if you wish to include them under your visa. Children of school age (from 5 years old) are required to maintain their studies.

 

How long can I stay in Australia with my student visa?

You can stay in Australia during your course + holidays.
During your course you must have good attendance:

  • At English language schools the attendance has to be at least 80%,
  • At other types of schools (colleges, universities) the attendance should be the same, at least 80%, but you also have to achieve satisfactory course progress.

 

Applying for a student visa

In Australia, the application for a student visa depends on:

  • Your nationality
  • What type of course you are going to study
  • And which school you will be applying for

These factors (specially nationality and school) will determine how comprehensive will be your application, i.e. in which risk level your application will be assessed against.

 

What does Risk Level mean?

The Risk level is ranked from 1 (lowest risk) to 3 (highest risk) for each country and school provider:

The combination of country of passport and school chosen determine the documentation you should provide to be able to have your student visa granted. See Border.gov website.

 

What do I need to apply for a student visa?

  • You need to be enrolled for a full time course – at least 20 hours per week.
  • The school provider must be registered with CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) so they will be able to issue a COE – Confirmation of Enrolment.
  • Financial documents
  1. Depending on the risk level of your application (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.
  2.  On average you will need to show you have at least AUD $19,000 for a single application in your bank account or a sponsor’s bank account. However, Immigration may ask for more evidence of financial support depending on your risk level.

 

English level and Academic Requirements

Depending on the course you are applying for, the school/immigration may request an Official English Test score such as IELTYS, PTE or Cambridge to have as prove of your English. For some qualifications you might need to provide proof your previous studies.

 

Immigration will also consider

  • The situation of your home country
  • Academic and employment history and record of what you have done related to the course you are going to study.
  • Your immigration history in Australia – if extending a visa

 

General Procedure to apply for a Student Visa

Below is a guide that shows the main steps when applying for a student visa. This process may vary depending on the Risk Level of the applicant:

  1. Submit school application
  2. Receive Letter of Offer/Acceptance and Invoice from school
  3. Pay your course fees
  4. Receive an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE) and receipt of payment
  5. Organize Health Insurance - OSHC
  6. Organize Financial support
  7. Organize Medical examination*
  8. Submit Visa application including all documents requested through and Immi Account
  9. Wait for Immigration to process your application
  10. Once your visa is approved, you can enter Australia

*Medical Examination

You might be asked to have a medical examination by an authorized doctor when you apply for your visa, it will depend on your country of residency health risk which is determined by the Australian Government.

When extending your visa, might be asked for medical examinations again, if your last examination was done in more than 12 months.
See more information on Border.gov website.

 

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