Looking to get an entry into Australia as a student? Read all about the requirements, qualifications, and relevant information related to student visa for Australia.
Student Visa for Australia
International students who want to make full use of Australia’s excellent quality of education and training system are required to apply for a student’s visa. The students’ visas are issued by the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship and are only for the courses that are registered with the Australian government. Therefore, overseas students are advised to enquire properly about the course they intend to take up before applying for a student’s visa; official website of Commonwealth Register of Courses and Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS) can be consulted for the same. Coming back to acquiring a student visa to Australia, a student needs to satisfy general visa requirements, evidentiary requirements, conditions for attendance and coursework, student visa conditions, visa subclasses, and various assessment levels before he/she is granted the appropriate visa to study in Australia. Continue reading to know about the application procedure, types of student visa forms, and other relevant information related to issuing of student visa for Australia.
Student Visa For Australia
Student Visa Subclasses
There are 7 visa subclasses for each education sector that needs to be accessed before applying for the visa. Students should apply under the visa sub class for your principle course of study. These student visa subclasses are:
Subclass 570: For international students undertaking English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) as a stand-alone course, and not as a prerequisite to commencing another course.
Subclass 571: For international students undertaking a course of study at a primary school or a secondary school, including both junior and senior secondary school, and an approved secondary exchange program.
Subclass 572: For international students undertaking Certificate I, II, III and IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma from the Vocational Education and training Sector.
Subclass 573: For international students undertaking a Bachelor degree, Associate Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master's by course work.
Subclass 574: For international students undertaking Masters degree by research and Doctoral degrees.
Subclass 575: For international students undertaking foundation, bridging or other courses that do not lead to the award of a degree, diploma or other formal award.
Subclass 576: For international students undertaking full-time study undertaken by Aus AID or Defence students sponsored by the Australian Government.
General Requirements
Students applying for a visa to study in Australia for any of the subclass must fulfill the following general requirements:
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The student must of sound health
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The student must be of good character
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The student must have an acceptable health insurance through the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for himself/herself and the family members accompanying the student to Australia
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The student should have no outstanding debts to the Commonwealth of Australia or have made arrangements acceptable to the minister to repay such debts
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If the student is below 18 years of age, prior acceptable arrangements for his/her accommodation, support, and general welfare must be made
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If the student is in assessment level 2, 3, 4, or 5 and does not hold a student visa and is applying in Australia; he/she should be able to provide the authorities with the exceptional reasons to justify the cause for visa
Evidentiary Requirements
The student applying for a visa to study in Australia must also fulfill the following evidentiary requirements:
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Student’s previous immigration history; eg. Previous compliance with the immigration laws and whether the student has previously applied for a visa to Australia
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Evidentiary documents like transcripts/mark sheets/certificates in support that all of the required academic or professional qualifications have been completed
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Situations if any, in the student’s home country that may prompt him/her to return home to fulfill any personal or financial obligations
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Demonstrating or providing evidence in the application that the funds needed to support the student’s stay in Australia will be available on time
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Documental support in favor that the student has scored in the English language proficiency test in accordance with the score expected to apply for the course. This document/scorecard needs to be procured before filing in the visa application
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Evidence of the student’s capacity to cover air fares, tuition fees, and the cost of living in Australia for self and for family members (if any, accompanying the student) during the stay in Australia
Certified copies of all the supported documents need to be attached with the application form with a declaration that all the required supporting documents have been attached. Certified copies means copies of the original documents that have been authorized and stamped as “true copies” of the originals by a person or agency recognized by the law of the student’s country. The documents that are in other languages must be accompanied by English translations.
Student Visa Conditions
If the student applying for a visa is granted the same, then there are certain conditions that need to be kept, breaching of which may result in cancellation of the visa. Some of the conditions are mentioned below:
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The student must maintain a valid enrollment for the course he/she has applied for.
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The student and the accompanying family members (if any) must not work unless have been granted the permission to do so as a part of the initial visa grant.
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The student is required to maintain the Overseas Student Health Cover while in Australia.
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The student must leave Australia before the visa expires.
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The student must remain with the university/institution he/she originally enrolled with for the first six months or for the duration of the course if it’s less than six months.
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The student is required to inform the university/institution of his/her residential address or changes in the residential address within seven days of arrival in Australia.
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If need be, the student is required to inform the current university/institution he/she is enrolled in about the change of university/institution within seven days of issue of an Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE).
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The student, if under 18 years of age, is required to obtain a written approval from the university/institution before changing the address, support, and welfare arrangements.
Visa Application Forms
Application for Student Visa (Temporary): Form 157A
Application for Electronic Student Visa (Temporary): Form 157E
Application for a Student Visa with permission to work: Form 157P
Application for Short Term Visitor/Tourist Visa: ETA
The Short Term Visitor or Tourist Visa is only granted for courses less than 3 month duration. If the duration is of more than 3 months, the student needs to apply for a student visa. Students wishing to apply for a visa to study in Australia can download these forms from the official website of Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Assessment Levels for Student Visa
Each application for a student visa to Australia is assessed according to assessment levels 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; and is determined by passport held and visa sub-class applied for. Assessment level 1 is the lowest while assessment level 5 is the highest; and the higher the assessment level, more evidence in support of financial capacity, understanding of English language, and other relevant matters will require to be demonstrated by the student. It’s these assessment levels that determine how a student is required to comply with the visa conditions based on student’s previous behavior.
Applying for Student Visa
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The student can begin with the visa application procedure as soon as he/she receives the Electronic Confirmation of Enrollment (eCoE) from the university or institution. In the meantime, the student is advised to check-out Australia Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship and contact the local Australian government office for details.
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Depending on the country the student is from, the student may have to go through a preliminary assessment before the university/institution issues an eCoE. At the preliminary assessment stage, the application is checked for various assessment levels (1-5) and based on what it is; the student may have to provide the authorities with:
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Offer of a place in course letter; from the university/institution to the visa processing office
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The letter should have the student’s proposed entry level, name of the course, start and end date of the course, and receipt of the full tuition fees paid for the course.
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If the assessment goes in the favor of student, the visa authority will then issue a letter to give to the university/institution, authorizing them to issue eCoE. After this, the student will be required to pay the tuition fees, OSHC premium, and undergo a few medical tests. After all the requirements have been met and the eCoE has been issued, the student will be granted the visa.
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