Apply to study in Australia

Why you should choose a Student Visa in Australia (Subclass 500)

The Student Visa has multiple of benefits : It allows you to study and work in Australia throughout the duration of your course. It gives you the option of applying for a short-term or a long-term visa. Some students will study for 6 months while others may study for 3 years or more on their Australian Student Visa. You can apply for an Australian Student Visa at any age. You can obtain an official Diploma, Bachelor Degree or Master’s Degree recognised by the Australian educational framework.
To study in Australia students will need to apply for both admission to an institution and also for a student visa from the Australian Government.
There is a range of entry requirements that you will need to meet both for you institution application and your visa application. This can include:

• Academic requirements.
• English language requirements.
• Evidence of funds to support your study.
• Overseas student health cover.

Student Visa Duration

The duration of a student visa generally depends on the dates of study detailed in the CoE(confirmation of Enrolments) that are submitted with the application. In general, the visa granted will cover the full length of every CoE that is in a sequence or package, if the evidences provided satisfy the visa requirements.

Student Visas: Basic Requirements and Processes

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) require a number of criteria to be met to provide a student visa:

• The student must be accepted into full-time study
• The student must be a genuine temporary entrant
• The student must meet health and health insurance requirements
• The student must be of the appropriate age
• The student must have a “good” character and not have any debts to the Australian Government

In addition, if higher risk criteria apply:

• The student must provide specified evidence to meet financial requirements
• The student must demonstrate appropriate English language skills

Furthermore, if the student is under 18 years of age, they must have acceptable arrangements for their accommodation and welfare.
The information in these sections apply to persons whose primary intention in coming to Australia is to study, and intend to study for more than 12 weeks. Students who wish to study a short course may be able to do so on other visa classes (e.g. a tourist visa allows study for up to three months).

Q : Which of the following circumstances may indicate to DIBP that a student is not coming to Australia as a Genuine Temporary Entrant?
A : 1. The student has good job prospects in his home country.
2. The student is applying for a course that is not related to their career choice or previous qualifications.
3. The student has studied successfully in Australia before.
Q : A student has a CoE for an ELICOS program of 10 months and a CoE for a VET Diploma course which lasts 18 months. The Diploma course finishes mid-December. How many months would the visa be granted for?
A : 31 months

Examples of Integrity Concerns for DIPB

The examples below demonstrate the concerns that have been identified in some circumstances when processing student visas.

1. English language skills
2. Genuine student/temporary entrant
3. Family background and financial support
4. Document fraud

Visas Following Study

Students may wish to remain in Australia to work after their course has finished. A student visa entitles a person to come to Australia on a temporary basis for a specified period to undertake study at an Australian educational institution. While many overseas students make a decision to apply for permanent residence upon completing their studies, this is an entirely separate process and there is no guarantee that, on the basis of having held a student visa, a person will meet the requirements to be granted permanent residence.

There is the opportunity for graduating students who meet particular criteria to stay in Australia and work temporarily.
In order to remain in Australia after studies, a student can obtain a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). This visa has two streams: the Graduate Work stream and the Post-Study Work stream.