Student Visa

Study Visa

Study at top universities in Australia on a student visa. Student visas allow you to study part or full time in universities, ESL programs and vocational training programs.

To obtain a student visa, you will first have to determine your assessment level, choose a course of study and then apply for a visa in the correct category.

Assessment Level

Assessment levels are determined by the country you are from. Each country is assigned an assessment level which is determined by the potential risk its citizens may pose to Australia if granted a student visa. Level 1 is the lowest risk and Level 5 is the highest.

These risks are assessed by the actions of groups from the country in question when granted a student visa, particularly if they complied with the rules and regulations of their visa, the laws and customs of Australia and how whether they succeeded in their studies. The higher your Assessment Level, the more evidence you will need to provide that demonstrates your suitability for a student visa.

To find out which Assessment Level applies to you, match the country of your passport with the Australian education sector that applies to your course of study.

CRICOS

After determining your assessment level, you must be accepted into a registered course of study. The Commonwealth Register of Courses for Overseas Students, known as CRICOS, gives educational programs accreditation and you can find a list of all study programs there.

Student Visas

After determining your Assessment Level and being accepted into a registered course of study, you can apply for a visa. The following are the different education sectors and their corresponding visas:

• Independent English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector (Subclass 570)
• Schools sector (Subclass 573) Vocational Education and Training sector (Subclass 572)
• Higher Education sector (Subclass 573)
• Postgraduate Research sector (Subclass 574)
• Non-award sector (Subclass 575)
• AusAid and Defence sector (Subclass 576)

What are the requirements for student visa in Australia?

Requirements of a Student Visa in Australia:

• Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) .
• Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) .
• Financial Requirements.
• English Proficiency Requirement.
• Australian Health Requirement.
• Australian Character Requirement.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) .
• Cost of Annual Living Amounts.

Australian Student Visa validity

As per the new guidelines in effect from July 1, 2016, the validity of the visa would be in accordance with the duration of the course the student is enrolled in.

Basic Eligibility Requirements for Australian Student Visa

Like in any visa, there are some basic requirements that a student must meet to be eligible for a Student Visa for Australia. These are listed below:

Full-Time Study

Students enrolled in a full-time study course are only eligible to apply for a Student Visa under Subclass 500. Part-time and distance learning courses do not qualify.

Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE)

Getting an Australian Student Visa requires the student to be able to prove that he/she is a Genuine Temporary Entrant. Essentially, that means that you should be able to convince that you only intend to travel to Australia for studies and would return to your home country at the end of the course or after a few years of experience. Your Visa Applications are accordingly assessed on various factors, namely;

• Your circumstances in your home country which includes your economic circumstances.
• Potential circumstances/opportunities for you in Australia
• Value of your chosen course to your future
• Your immigration history
• Any other relevant matters

Health Checkup and Insurance

In order to receive a student visa for Australia, you need to provide proof that you are in good health. You can do so by providing a certificate of good health. The health checkup and certificate can only be provided by the impaneled doctors. You can make an appointment with the one closest to you for the same. Here’s a link for the Empaneled Doctors for India. eMedical Facilities are available in India and often the records are updated immediately. You would be provided with a HAP id which you would need to provide at the time of filling the form. Also, Indian students also need to provide a Chest X-Ray that proves that you do not suffer from Tuberculosis since India is considered a high-risk country.

You can apply for a health checkup before or after starting the visa application. However, getting it beforehand would ensure quicker processing.

Apart from a health checkup, you also need a Health Insurance or an OSHC (Overseas Students Health Cover). At the time of the visa application, you should have an Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of your visa. Depending on the duration of your health cover, your visa tenure would be settled so make sure that it covers the duration of your course. The average cost of OSHC is AUS$438 for 12 months for a single student.

Good Character

Students are required to provide proof of good character which necessarily suggests that you do not have any criminal case against you and/ or you have never been deported from Australia before. Often, a simple declaration of the same is accepted on the form.

Documents Required for Student Visa for Australia

We are providing you with all the possible documents which might be required under Streamlines and Regular Evidentiary documents. Remember, since the application is only online, students must ensure that they have scanned copies of all the documents listed ready before they start their online application. Also, please remember that the list of Regular Evidentiary Documents is in addition to the documents required for the SSVF processing.

• Valid Passport - Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in Australia.
• Non-immigrant Visa Application
• Application fee payment receipt
• Confirmation of Enrolment Form (COE) - To obtain a visa to study in Australia you must be fully enrolled in an Australian institution and receive a “Confirmation of Enrolment (COE)”. These forms are issued by the Australian institution you will be attending. The forms are usually issued after the tuition fees have been received.
• Acceptance letter from your host university, this will include the proposed study plan
• Overseas health insurance receipt (OSHC)
• Recent Digital photographs
• Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates from schools you attended
• English Language Test Scores
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Evidence of Financial Capacity

How and When to Apply for Australian Student Visa

You can apply for an Australian Student Visa maximum of 124 days prior to the commencement of your course. Also, you can travel to Australia a maximum of 90 days prior to the start of your course.

Under the new SSVF Guidelines. the Australian Student Visa process is completely online. Here are the steps you need to follow

1. To start an online application, you will need to create and log into your ImmiAccount.
2. Applicants should fill the visa application form corresponding to the visa subclass under which they are eligible to apply for. (Education agents and Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) based in India who are registered to access the student online lodgement facility can lodge student eVisa applications on the behalf of the student.)
3. To track your application, you will again need to login to your ImmiAccount. You can use your account to attach documents, update passport details, change email and address details and check the progress of your application.
4. A Transaction Reference Number (TRN) is a unique number assigned to each online application. You will need this to track and manage your application, identify when you need to communicate with the visa center and check your visa entitlements.

Dependents

The dependents also apply under SubClass 500 and pay the additional fee required. You must declare all family members on your visa application at the time of submission, even if they do not plan to travel with you to Australia. If you do not do this, later on, your family members will not be eligible for the grant of dependent visas to join you in Australia.

The partner of the student gets a Dependent Visa and a valid work permit for the same duration as the primary applicant. This is applicable only for the Master's degree application.

Part-Time Work Options under Student Visa Subclass 500

The part-time work options for students going to Australia have remained unchanged. Under Visa Subclass 500, students are eligible to work for up to 40 hours in a fortnight while the course is in Session and for unlimited hours when the course is not in session (during breaks). The only proviso is that the student cannot start working until the course commences.

A few things to remember:

• Students cannot work until the session begins. For instance, say your course starts in January 2019 and you reach Australia by December 2018, then you cannot take up employment till your session begins.
• In casework is a normal part of the curriculum of the course you are enrolled for then this limit does not apply. This is usually applicable in the case of compulsory internships of integrated courses.
• Also, students that fall under the PostGraduate Research Sector can work for unlimited hours when the research work or doctoral thesis begins. Also, in case there are any preliminary courses that the student has enrolled in, the student is eligible to work as per the 40 hours per fortnight rule mentioned above.
• Students completing the Australian study requirement can apply for a Post-study Work Permit under Graduate Stream. However, students enrolled in an ELICOS cannot apply for Post Study Work Permit for Australia.

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