How to get an Australian student visa

All international students apply for the same visa: the Student Visa (Subclass 500), which you must apply for online.

Before applying for a visa, you’ll need to obtain a Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) or a Letter of Offer confirming you have been accepted into a course registered under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions of Courses (CRICOS). The COE will be in the form of an online code that you will need to enter into the appropriate section in the online visa application. You may also need to pay a deposit towards your tuition fees.

Applicants should use the Document Checklist Tool to ensure they have all of the required documentation for their application. Applications that have missing documents may be delayed or refused. After you have applied, respond to any requests for further documentation or information promptly to ensure your application progresses smoothly.

When completing your online visa application form, you’ll need to provide evidence of the following according to the Australian student visa requirements:

• Financial requirements: Evidence of sufficient funds to cover tuition, travel and living costs. 
• English proficiency requirement: If this is required, you will need to have obtained a certain score in an approved English language test. Tests which can be taken online and at home are not accepted. Exemptions also apply to some students (for example, those from English-speaking countries such as the UK and USA). More information about these can be found on the government website.
• Health requirements: Health examinations may be required to ensure you meet Australia's health requirements. Students are also obliged to purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), although there are exceptions for some students from Belgium, Sweden and Norway. Students from Sweden who have purchased health insurance through Kammarkollegiet will not need to purchase OSHC. Belgian and Norwegian students are also not required to purchase OSHC as part of their visa requirements.

The Department of Home Affairs website has a document checklist feature that will provide you with a list of documents required for your specific circumstances. Typically, students must submit the following:

• Completed Australian student visa application form
• Paid visa application fee – use the government's visa pricing estimator to work out the cost
• Copy of passport biodata page (some students may be asked to physically provide their passport)
• Certificate of Enrolment or Letter of Offer
• Evidence of sufficient funds
• Evidence of health insurance cover
• English proficiency test results
• Criminal record check results
• Four recent passport-sized photographs

If you study in Australia for a course that is longer than 10 months and finishes at the end of an Australian academic year (usually mid-December) your visa will usually be valid until 15 March the following year. If your course is longer than 10 months and finishes in January to October, your visa will usually be valid for two months following the completion of your course.

Under some circumstances, it may be possible to apply for a further visa at the end of your course (consult the Department of Home Affairs website for more details)

You can enter Australia on your student visa up to 90 days before your course starts. Within seven days of arrival, you must inform your education provider of your resident address, and also inform them within seven days if you change address.

Students can work up to 48 hours a fortnight in any sector while their course is in session.

While in possession of a student visa, you have certain obligations to fulfil: you must remain enrolled in a CRICOS-registered course, attend classes regularly, make satisfactory course progress and maintain OSHC health insurance. There are also certain visa conditions you and your dependents must comply with; breaching a visa condition may result in the cancellation of your visa.