Impress Educational Consultant

Student Visa Requirements In Australia

Australia is one of the most sought after destinations thousands of students from Asia apply to study. Housing hundreds of world-class institutions for a range of courses, Australia promises bright career prospects after graduation. 

Here are the basic Australian student visa requirements you need to meet to secure an Australian student visa

  • Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement 
  • Financial requirements
  • English proficiency
  • Character and health requirements

Types of Australian student visa

Subclass 500 is the student visa for Australia that all international students have to apply for. To apply for this visa, you should have secured a COE (Confirmation of Enrolment) or an offer letter from an Australian institution for a CRICOS registered course. 

Additionally, you might be asked to attend an interview at your nearest Australian embassy or consulate. With this visa, you can study two or more related courses if the course gap is less than two calendar months. 

You will also be expected to prove your English proficiency by taking one of the accepted standard English tests (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL iBT, and CAE). You will need to submit evidence of your financial status to prove you can pay for your studies and stay in Australia. 

OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is a must and it should be valid throughout your stay in Australia. Some courses require students to have their health checked and certified as healthy by doctors in their country and later approved by the Australian immigration department. Furthermore, a criminal record check is mandatory as a part of your character assessment

Documents required for an Australian student visa

When applying for your student visa for Australia, you will generally need: 

  • Proof of enrolment (your electronic confirmation of enrolment)
  • A valid passport
  • Your visa application fee
  • Your Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement 
  • Academic and work experience documents 
  • Evidence of your English proficiency skills (such as IELTS test scores) 
  • Evidence of financial ability (tuition fees, living expenses, expenses for dependents, return airfare)
  • Details of your health insurance policy 
  • Statement of purpose
  • Passport-sized photographs

If you are under 18 years of age, you will also need to provide additional documents such as parental consent.

Australian student visa application process

Once all your documents are arranged and in place, you will have to create an ‘ImmiAccount’ online and apply through the portal. You can directly upload the documents and pay the student visa Australia application fee which is AU $620. 

Most applications for a student visa for Australia take a month to process. The best part is that you can apply from anywhere in the world. Once your visa application is lodged, you can view the status of it through your ImmiAccount. 

A registered migration agent can also carry out the entire process on your behalf. If your visa application is successful, you will be notified via email on the same with your Visa Grant Number, the Date of expiry of your visa, and the conditions associated with your visa.

Visa fee

As an international student you must pay visa fees as per the below category you fall in:

Visa subclass

Base application charge

Additional applicant charges if 18 years or above

Additional applicant charges if less than 18 years

The subsequent temporary application charge

Student visa (subclass 500)

AUD $630

AUD $460

AUD $150

AUD $700

Student visa (subclass 500) (subsequent entrant)

AUD $620

AUD $460

AUD $150

AUD $700

Student visa (subclass 500) – Foreign Affairs or Defence sector

nil

nil

nil

nil

Student visa (subclass 500) – Postgraduate research sector

AUD $620

nil

nil

nil

English language requirements

To gain your Australia student visa, you’ll have to provide evidence of proficiency in the English language. This usually means passing a secure English language test to be able to prove your communication and correspondence skills. 

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular high-stakes English language proficiency test for study, work and migration, with more than three million tests taken in the past year. The IELTS results are recognised by more than 10,000 organisations, including educational institutions, employers, professional associations and governments, in 140 countries around the world.

The minimum score required in your IELTS for an Australian student visa is 5.5 band in each of the four modules.