Australian Student Visa Requirements and Application Process

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Apr 25, 2023 08:53 AM

Many international students nurture the dream of studying in Australia. Once you get admission in the course of your choice, you have to apply for an Australian student visa. If your course duration is more than 6 months, you would require a student visa (subclass 500). In this blog, we will discuss the requirements and the application process to obtain an Australian student visa.

What Does An Australian Student Visa Allow You to Do?

source : Visa Executive

A valid Australian student visa permits you to do the following:

Stay in Australia for upto 5 years or for the duration of your course.

Study the course you have enrolled for.

Take family members with you ( spouse, child).

Work for 40 hours in a two-week period.

What Are The Prerequisites?

There are certain criteria that you must fulfill in order to be eligible to apply for an Australian student visa.

Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

You have to be accepted for a full-time course which is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). You have to provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) received from the institution, along with your visa application. You can find the courses and institutions registered with CRICOS here:

CRICOS

If you are applying for a package of courses ( more than one course) you have to provide CoE for each course. The courses should not be more than two months apart unless one course finishes at the end of one academic year and the next course begins at the start of the next academic year.

Health Insurance

You must have an Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from an authorized health insurance provider for your entire length of stay. You should have valid health insurance from the day you land in Australia. You can arrange for your insurance through your institution, or you can arrange for it yourself. If your institution is taking care of your insurance, they must include your insurance information in the CoE. If you are taking care of it by yourself, you have to include the policy number in the visa application. Please note that your visa application will be rejected if you do not provide information about your health insurance.

Age Criteria

You should be at least 6 years or older to apply for a student visa.

Welfare Arrangement

If you are under 18 years, you must have proof of a welfare arrangement.

Proof of Funds

You have to show evidence that you have enough money to fund your education and living expenses during your stay in Australia. You can show the following documents as evidence:

Money deposits in a bank (governed by the central bank of your country)

Government loans

Bank loans

Scholarships or financial support

You can also show evidence that your parents or your partner earned an annual income of at least AUD 62,222 in the previous 12 months before you applied for your visa. If both parents are working, their combined income will be considered. In this case, you have to provide evidence like tax assessments, which are official government documents. Bank statements or payslips will not be accepted as proof.

English Language Requirements

You might have to take an English language test approved by the Australian home affairs department, depending on your nationality and the institution you have enrolled in. IELTS, TOEFL, Certificate in Advanced English, PTE Academic and Occupational English test are the tests approved by the department.

What Are The Documents Required?

The important documents that you need for applying for an Australian student visa are:

Valid passport

Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy document

Proof of funds

You might also need to provide

Proof of English language ability

Academic transcripts

Work experience certificates

Passport size photographs

Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Statement

Medical certificate

Police certificate (for meeting character requirement)

You can get an exhaustive list of documents you need to submit while applying for an Australian student visa, here:

Australian Student Visa

How to Apply for An Australian Student Visa?

source : Miro Medium

Once you have arranged all the necessary documents, you need to apply for your visa online. You have to apply for your student visa at least 6 weeks before your course starts.

You will have to apply for the visa on the official website of the Australian Department of Home affairs. You have to create an ImmiAccount first to submit your application for the subclass 500 Student Visa.

Create An ImmiAccount

Fill in all the required details carefully. You can save the application and re-check again. Attach all the required documents. Pay the visa application fee of 620 AUD. You can pay through credit card, PayPal, UnionPay or BPay. Submit the application once you are sure you have filled it correctly and completely.

What Happens After You Apply?

Generally, there are no status updates provided within the standard processing times. You have to check your ImmiAccount to see if you are required to submit any more documents.

You might be asked to submit the following documents

Biometrics

Once you submit your application, you will be notified immediately if you need to give your biometrics. You will have 14 days to submit them. You have to make an appointment as soon as possible and get it done quickly as you have to provide your biometrics before you travel to Australia.

Health Examinations

You can check if you need a health assessment in your ImmiAccount. Go to your application and in the Application Status section, click on the ‘View health assessment’ link. If you are required to take medical examinations, there will be a link called ‘Organise health examinations’. If you do not require any medical examination, there will not be any link. Click on the link and provide your medical history details. Once you provide the required details, you will be provided with a referral letter with a HAP ID. You have to furnish the HAP ID to take your medical examinations. Your referral letter will carry instructions about what health examinations you are required to take.

How Is The Decision Conveyed?

You will be intimated in writing about the decision on your visa application. If your visa is approved, you will receive a letter with the visa grant number, expiry date and the visa conditions. In case your application is rejected, you will get a letter with the reason for rejection. The letter will also tell you if you have the right to appeal for a review. Please note that your application fee will not be refunded even if your application is rejected.

You can get end-to-end details about applying for an Australian student visa here:

Australian Student Visa

Conclusion

A student visa is the most important document for anyone who wishes to pursue education in Australia. In this article, we have discussed at length about the documents required and the process involved in applying for an Australian student visa. Do make sure that you have all the necessary documents in place before you apply. We hope that this blog will help you to know what all documents you need and how to apply for your student visa.