Student Visa

With an Australian visa 500 (or a student visa subclass 500), you gain much more than just a study permit.

• Live in Australia: You may live legally in Australia for the length of your course, whether it is a short English course or a complete degree.
• Work in Australia: You have work rights during term time, you may work up to 48 hours per fortnight (and during break full-time), which can support your stay.
• Traveling within Australia: Your visa gives you so much that you can enter and exit so many times as you may need to. This will allow you to return home or to countries nearby without losing your visa status. 
• Healthcare access in Australia: In order to receive medical care, you will need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) - so check with your university requirements for the best THE benefit assistance during your studies.

Such rights do come with their responsibilities, but they also come with huge benefits: self-discovery, international connections, and qualifications that provide access to work around the world.

"Student visa" can seem ambiguous; however, Australian immigration laws are sometimes convoluted:

• Student visa subclass 500 is your primary entry point. If you are organised through a vocational trainer, university institution, or even a language school, you will always apply for a student subclass 500. 
• Of course, there are other subclasses like a student guardian for guardians of minors, some student conditional release, and sometimes a pathway to Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa after you have studied; but if your goals are to study full-time, the student visa 500 will be where you apply.

Understanding the difference between your subclass 500 and other related subclasses is important, as the conditions, rights, and obligations are different. You will want to make sure you correctly choose your subclass and not have unnecessary delays, denials, or unexpected complications. 

What will you need to prove to ensure your successful student visa application? Below are the current requirements:

• Genuine Student (GS) requirement: The old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement has now become the Genuine Student requirement as of 23 March 2024. You need to effectively show that your primary purpose for entry to Australia is to study and not merely to migrate (which means being able to show ties to your home country, future career plans, how your course of study connects to your previous education, etc).
• Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE): From early 2025, you will require a valid CoE from a CRICOS‐registered provider before you lodge your student visa subclass 500 application. A letter of offer alone is no longer enough.
• Financial capacity: To support your application, you must be able to demonstrate that you will have enough funds to support yourself. The benchmark for living costs, effective May 2024, is AUD 29,710 per annum for the primary student. In addition to this, you must show (for partners/spouse and children) and have enough funds for tuition, OSHC, travel, etc.
• English language proficiency: Minimum scores will vary depending on the level of study and the institution. Many undergraduate courses now require an IELTS of ~6.0, and most postgraduate courses ask for higher scores. Some providers may also accept other tests, such as the TOEFL.
• Health & character checks: Medical exams and police/character certificates are also needed according to the ruling of the Department of Home Affairs.
• Tuition and fees paid or arranged are shown: Some providers ask you to provide evidence that the deposit tuition fee payment is received or fees arranged as part of your CoE before or along with your visa application.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): Health insurance that is valid for the duration of your stay.