Australian Student Visa (Subclass 500)

I. Who needs it

Generally speaking, anybody from overseas studying in Australia for more than 3 months (or 12 weeks) needs to have a Student Visa (Subclass 500).  The only exception is those who are holding a Work and Holiday Visa which allows them to study for a maximum of 4 months (or 16 weeks).  If you’re only studying for a maximum period of 3 months (or 12 weeks) you don’t need a Student Visa, a Tourist Visa will suffice.  And if you’re a passport holder from one of these countries you don’t even need a Tourist Visa. You only need to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authority, pay $20 AUD and you’re good to go.  Otherwise, you can apply for a Tourist Visa.

We tried to search DHA website for information if you can apply for a Student Visa even if you’re only studying for less than 3 months, and we cannot find anything that says you cannot.  We guess the answer to that lies on common sense. Why bother applying for a Student Visa when you can pursue your short-term study (of 3 months or less) using only the cheaper and relatively easier to get Tourist Visa?  Having said that, however, our opinion is you’re free to apply for a Student Visa even though you don’t need it.  When we say “studying in Australia” we mean you’ve already made the arrangements to enrol yourself and not just thinking of studying because the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) is a vital requirement of your Student Visa application, and you can only get issued a CoE by your education provider after you’ve finalised your enrolment.

II. Student Visa Requirements

II.A. You must be enrolled in a course with a CRICOS-registered education provider

It may sound be far-fetched but it can happen (many weirder things do happen everyday everywhere) – you saw this course you’re excited about and you slipped through the system and got enrolled.  Then when you applied for a Student Visa you found out that you’re not eligible for it because the course and/or the education provider you enrolled in are not CRICOS registered.  Oops.  That’s why on your own or upon listening to the suggestion of your education agent, make sure the course and the education provider offering it are CRICOS registered.

Also, you may not hear this much but one important thing you need to know is that the education provider you choose may affect your visa application.  Please see a Department of Home Affairs’ material on Simplified Student Visa Framework – Evidentiary Framework.  So try to carefully research not only the course you’re eyeing but also the institution providing it.  If you wish we at ASO can help you. We are not beholden or confined to promote any particular education provider. We can and we will help you narrow down your options using no other consideration but your best interest according to the balance between your situation and your preference.

So yes, before you can apply for Student Visa you first need to enrol in a CRICOS-registered course with a CRICOS-registered education provider.  Upon enrolment your provider will issue you a Certificate of Enrolment (CoE), this is a crucial piece of document that you will need to support your visa application.

II.B. Age-related requirement

1. If you’re applying for Student Visa to study in school you must be at least 6 years old. If you’re studying in school your age must be appropriate for the year level you’re enrolling in.  You must be:

• less than 17 years old when you begin Year 9
• less than 18 years old when you begin Year 10
• less than 19 years old when you begin Year 11
• less than 20 years old when you begin Year 12

2. Welfare Arrangement for Students Under 18 years Old

Whatever you’re studying if you’re below 18 years old you must have adequate welfare arrangements (in terms of accommodation, support and general well-being) at all times while in Australia. If you’re below 18 at the time of your application but you will be 18 by the time you arrive in Australia you don’t need to bother with this requirement but you still need to fill-up and submit Form 157N (Student Guardianship Arrangements) with your Student Visa application.

To comply with this requirement you either have to:

a. Nominate a Student Guardian and live with them while you’re under 18 years old and studying in Australia. Your Student Guardian can be your :
     – Parent or parents
     – Legal custodian, or
     – A relative who is at least 21 years old and nominated by the parent/s or legal custodian

Who is your ‘relative’?
     – Your grandparent or step-grandparent
     – Your sibling or step-sibling
     – Your aunt, uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle
     – Your niece, nephew or step-niece or step-nephew
     – Your partner
     – Your child or stepchild

Use Form 157N for this and submit it together with your Student Visa application. 

Your Student Guardian can be someone who is already legally residing in Australia or coming from overseas.  If your Student Guardian is travelling with you and staying with you in Australia from overseas they also need to apply for a Student Guardian Visa (subclass 590) at the same time as you apply for your Student Visa (subclass 500).   

Or, 

b. Secure a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter from your education provider . If you’re a minor and would be studying in Australia by yourself the Australian government wants to be assured that you’ll have appropriate accommodation, support and welfare arrangement throughout your stay in Australia.  The CAAW is meant to ensure this happens. 

A CAAW letter means your education provider is taking responsibility for the suitability of your accommodation, support, and general welfare.  Consequently, your education provider will only issue you a CAAW when they can have reasonable assurance of the suitability of your accommodation arrangement in Australia.  Suitable accommodation arrangement for minor international students means staying in boarding school or homestay accommodation that are either provided by the education provider, provided by a 3rd party homestay network provider accredited by the education provider, or a homestay arrangement directly organised by your parents with trusted relatives or friends living in general area where the school is located. 

For those unfamiliar, homestay is an accommodation setup wherein international student live with local host family who is willing and able to provide a room with bed, wardrobe, study desk and a chair, meals, and overall general support.  Host families are pre-selected local families living near the campus and are vetted regularly for compliance to National Code standards.  When you avail of your provider’s in-house or approved homestay or boarding school accommodation arrangement, or if they are happy with your parent-nominated homestay arrangement, they will issue your CAAW letter together with your CoE. 

Note: Australian states and territories don’t normally allow issuance of CAAW to overseas students 12 years old and below. If you’re under 13 the only way for you to enrol is if you’re living with a Student Guardian, or if you’re coming as a dependant of someone who’s here on Student Visa, or any other visa that allows them to stay here for more than 3 months and allows their dependants to attend school in Australia.

Another very important thing to note is you cannot enter Australia before the starting date of your CAAW. Your CAAW should cover your first day in Australia up to your last day in Australia. You, or your agent, should coordinate the dates of your planned arrival and departure with your provider so they are covered in your CAAW.

d. Provide your Acceptance Advice of Secondary Exchange Student (AASES) if you’re a secondary school exchange student

e. If you’re a Foreign Affairs or Defence student, organise approval of your welfare arrangements from the relevant Minister.

II.C. Character requirement

1. According to DHA you’re likely to meet this requirement if:

a. You’ve not been sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months or more, or you’ve not been declared unfit to plead to an offense you’ve found to have committed and for which you’ve been detained in a facility or institution

b. You’ve general good behaviour

2. Also according to DHA, you’ll fail this requirement if there’s a risk you’ll:

a. engage in criminal conduct
b. harass, molest, intimidate or stalk another person
c. vilify a segment of the Australian community
d. incite discord in the Australian community
e. be a danger to the Australian community

3. You may, or may not, be asked to provide:

a. Police certificate
b. Completed Form 80 Personal Particulars for Character Assessment
c. Complete Character Statutory Declaration
d. Military certificate, if you’ve served for more than a year
e. A letter of good conduct from an employer

II.D. Minimum Health Requirement

According to DHA, to meet the health requirement you must be free from any disease or condition that is:

1. A public health and safety risk, especially active tuberculosis

2. Significant healthcare and community service cost to the Australian community (Thinking aloud: We believe this doesn’t apply to Student Visa applicants because of the OSHC requirement below)

3. Likely to limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to healthcare and community services that are in short supply by placing demand on those services. (Thinking aloud: We’re also of the opinion that this doesn’t necessarily apply to Student Visa applicants as the health care services mentioned such as organ transplant and dialysis are quite debilitating that it’s unlikely anyone can still think of studying overseas if they suffer from them).

You might have to undergo health examinations to prove you meet the health requirement, especially no.1 above. You’ll know if you do when you apply, along with instructions on how to go about it.

II.E. You must have an Overseas Student Health Cover.

All international students must have an active Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) (basically a health insurance) at all times that they‘re in Australia. If you include anyone else in your application (for example your spouse and/or child who are coming with you), they too must have an OSHC. If you or your agent have organised OSHC, you will need to include the name of your health insurance provider, the start and end dates your policy and the policy number in your visa application form. If your education provider arranged your OSHC, you will only need to include the name of your health insurance provider and the dates your policy starts and finishes. If you are from Norway, Sweden or Belgium, you might not need an OSHC.

II.F. Financial Capacity

You might be asked to provide evidence when you apply, or while your application is being processed, that you have sufficient financial capacity to pay for your study and living expenses in Australia. Budget for living expenses must also include your partner, kids, parent or relative or legal custodian if they’re accompanying you in Australia.

1. Evidence of financial capacity includes:

a. Deposits of money
b. Government loans or loans from a financial institution
c. Scholarships or similar financial support
d. Evidence your parents (can be combined) or your partner had a personal annual income of at least AUD60,000 in the past 12 months in the form of tax assessment and other official government documents. If you’re bringing family members, you must demonstrate your parents’ or partner’s income is at least AUD70,000. DHA does not accept bank statements or direct evidence from an employer as proof of parent or partner’s income.

2. You might be asked to provide proof that you have access to the evidences you provided above.

a. If someone else is providing you funds
    – evidence of your relationship with them
    – their identity documents
    – evidence of any financial support they have given you or another student visa holder in the past

b. If the financial support provided involves a business, proof that the business is operating.

c. If you’re providing evidence of deposits of money, brief explanation of their source.

d. If you’re getting education loan to cover your tuition or living costs it should be paid out according to the agreement between you, the bank and the education provider. If you receive any payments before the outcome of your visa application, you can give evidence including the terms of the loan and the full amount you will get.

e. If you are getting another kind of loan, you may be asked to provide:
    – evidence of the security you used
    – the terms of the loan
    – evidence you can cover ongoing costs

f. The best proof of your genuine access to funds if you are relying on a loan is evidence of disbursement. Let your provider know any conditions on your education loan. Some loans offer deferred repayment against your future earnings. These loans can be conditional on you studying only a specified course with a certain provider.

3. You may be asked to declare your overall living cost. To work out how much you’ll need consider the cost of your travel to Australia, 12 months of your course fees, 12 months of living expenses, and school fees for any school-age children who accompany you. The DHA website provided the following figures as guide to calculate how much you’ll need for

a. Travel cost to Australia
    – AUD2,500 travel costs if you’re applying from East or Southern Africa
    – AUD3,000 travel costs if you’re applying from West Africa
    – AUD2,000 travel costs if you’re applying from anywhere else outside Australia

b. 12-month living costs
    – for students or guardians – AUD20,209
    – for partners coming with you – AUD7,100
    – for a child coming with you – AUD3,040

c. Course fee – Get the pro-rata cost of your total course fee for 12 months.

d. If you are including any school-age children in your application, you must provide evidence the child is enrolled. Add schooling costs of at least AUD8,000 per year for each child. Costs vary between states, territories and schools in Australia – you are responsible for finding out how much the child’s schooling will cost. You don’t have to provide evidence of schooling costs if you:
– are a PhD student and have enrolled your child in an Australian government school where the fees have been waived
– have received an Australian Commonwealth Government scholarship and have enrolled your child in an Australian government school where the fees have been waived.

II.G. Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement

Make no mistake about it Australia welcomes legitimate foreign students with open arms. Unfortunately however each year many people who come to Australia on Student Visa are not genuine students and have abused and misused their visa. Hence this requirement to prove that your intention is to stay in Australia temporarily to pursue your study (or to look after someone who’s going to study in Australia) and you have no intention of abusing or misusing your visa.

DHA website states: “Applicants for Student and Student Guardian visas must show they are coming to Australia temporarily to study or to look after a person who is studying. The Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement is not intended to exclude students who, after studying in Australia, develop skills Australia needs and who then go on to apply for permanent residence.”

According to an official government document called Ministerial Direction 69 the following factors are taken into consideration when determining whether you meet the GTE requirement.

1. Circumstances in home country (or country of residence)

a. Your reason for not studying in home country or region if a similar course is available there
b. Your ties to your home country that support the intention to return once study is complete
c. Your economic circumstances
d. Your military service commitments, if applicable
e. Any political and civil unrest in home country, if applicable

2. Potential circumstances in Australia

a. Your level of knowledge of proposed course of study and education provider
b. Your previous study and qualification(s)
c. Your planned living arrangements
d. Your financial stability.
e. Your ties to Australia which would present as a strong incentive to remain in Australia

3. Value of the course to your future

a. Is the course(s) consistent with your current level of education?
b. The relevance of your course to your past or proposed future employment in your home country or country of residence
c. Expected salary in your home country (or country of residence) which you could get using the qualification you’ll from your course of study.

4. Your immigration history – previous visa applications for Australia or other countries including visa refusals or cancellations. If you are a minor, we consider the intentions of your parent, legal guardian or spouse.

You must provide a written statement in English (or in your own language but you must provide a translated copy in English) addressing the GTE requirement. This is sometimes called Statement of Purpose (SOP).

There is no prescribed style to write the GTE. It’s the substance of what you write that counts. And the substance is found in addressing the things discussed above (to the extent that it’s applicable to you) and providing proof to support your assertions (things that you say). For example if you say: “My family owns and runs a shop”, you should attach a copy of a document showing your family’s ownership of a shop. Avoid giving generic motherhood statement without elaborating or providing details. If you say: “Pursuing an engineering degree in Australia is what I have always wanted to do after high school”, follow it up by mentioning your reason/s why you prefer pursuing an engineering degree in Australia rather than in your own country. Your reasons could be: a) because you want the world-class education that Australia provides which will enable you to have sought-after qualification when you go back to your country, b) you can also add how you want to achieved a level of English proficiency that only actually studying in an English country like Australia can provide, and that English skill can be a valuable skill when you go back to your country, and c) talk about your future career prospect after you finished your study like your plan to work in a leading renewable energy company in your country, or to use your knowledge and skills to help develop renewable energy industry in your country.

If you engage our help applying and enrolling in your education provider of choice we would happy to help guide you write your GTE.

II.H. English proficiency requirement

1. The table refers to the English language test providers and the minimum scores you must achieve to meet the Student visa English language requirement. You might be required to submit proof of your English language proficiency as part of your Student Visa application.

English Language Test Provider	Minimum Score	Minimum Score + 10 weeks of ELICOS	Minimum Score + 20 weeks of ELICOS
IELTS	5.5	5	4.5
Pearson (PTE Academic)	42	36	30
TOEFL internet-based test	46	35	32
Cambridge English Advanced (CAE)	162	154	147
Occupational English Test	B for each test component	n/a	n/a

This requirement practically mirrors the English requirement of your education provider. If your education provider doesn’t require you to sit ELICOS based on your English proficiency test, you simply show the same result to DHA if they ask for it. If your education provider requires you to sit ELICOS (based on your current level of English) and you’re enrolled into one it will show in your CoE’s, therefore satisfying the DHA requirement.

2. You do not need to provide evidence of English test score if one of the following applies:

a. You’re a UK, USA, Canada, NZ or Republic of Ireland citizen
b. You’re Foreign Affairs or, Defence sponsored student or a Secondary Exchange student (AASES)
c. You’re enrolled in a principal course of study that’s a registered school course, a standalone English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS), or a registered post-graduate research course
d. You’ve completed at least 5 years’ study in Australia, UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, or the Republic of Ireland
e. Within two years before applying for Student Visa, you completed either a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or a substantial component of a Certificate IV or higher level course, while on a student visa in Australia.

II.I. Others

A. You need to sign (or accept) the Australian Values Statement
B. Have paid back your debt to the Australian Government
C. Not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused
D. If you have one of these visas, you can’t apply for this visa while you are in Australia:

1. Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
2. Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or consular) stream
3. Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only. A family member of a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) can apply for a Student visa in Australia
4. Transit visa (subclass 771)
5. Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Sponsored Family stream or in the Approved Destination Status stream

Usually you must hold a visa that allows you to stay in Australia when you apply.

You might be able to apply for a new student visa if it has been less than 28 days since your student visa expired and provided this has not happened before.

You can’t apply for a student visa if you have ever held a substantive visa that you applied for in Australia while unlawful.

III. Overview of Student Visa (Subclass 500)

III.A. Visa Privileges

1. Participate in an eligible course of study in Australia
2. Travel in and out of Australia as many times as you want
3. Work up to 40 hours every 2-week period (fortnight) once your course starts
4. Apply for a different temporary or permanent visa, if eligible

III.B. How Long Can You Stay

1. Your length of your visa is based on the length of your study

Length of Course	Length of Stay
Less than 10 months	Usually 1 month after the course
10 months or longer, finishing between January and October	Usually 2 months after the course
10 months or longer, finishing at the end of academic year (November to December)	Usually until the 15th of March of the following year

2. Postgraduate research students – Your length of stay is generally 6 months longer than the usual relevant period set out in the table above. This additional time allows these students to remain in Australia during the interactive marking of their thesis.

3. Primary school-aged students – DHA generally issues a maximum length of stay of 2 years for primary school-aged students to safeguard younger and more vulnerable students. However, primary school aged students can apply for another visa in order to remain in Australia and continue studying. Students who intend to enrol in primary school for 2 years and then enrol in secondary school, will generally have a length of stay of 5 years. For example, a student who wants to enrol in Year 5 and 6 could be granted a Student visa until Year 9.

III.C. You Can Include Your Family

You can include your

1. Partner, and/or
2. Dependent child (unmarried and below 18 years old) when you lodge your visa application.

But even if they are not coming with you to Australia you still must declare them nevertheless. If you don’t and they decided later on to also study in Australia to join you they would not be eligible. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the requirements for health and character as well.

III.D. Cost of Student Visa

AUD 650 for the main applicant. Plus AUD 485 if you include a family member 18 years old and above, plus AUD 160 if you include a family member below 18 years old.

III.E. Processing Times (in days)

Education Sector	75% of Applications	90% of Applications
Non-award	15	41
Independent ELICOS	33	49
School	41	59
VET	56	87
Higher Education	24	45

Note: We have noticed that these numbers change.  Use the table only as a rough guide.

Factors affecting the processing time of your application
– Incorrectly filled up application
– Incomplete documents
– Difficulty in verifying your information

III.F. Course Packaging

Course Packaging is when you can apply to undertake 2 or more courses on your Student Visa where one course leads to the next. For example, you enrolled in ELICOS, Foundation Study and Bachelor’s degree, and you’re taking them in chronological order. Your last course you’re taking as part of the course package is your main course of study, which in this case is the Bachelor’s degree. DHA uses your main course of study to work out what financial and English language skills evidence will be required from you.

IV. Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF)

The Australian government implemented the SSVF in July 2016 to make the process of applying for a student visa simpler to navigate for genuine students, deliver a more targeted approach to immigration integrity, and reduce red tape. As a result, international students now apply for a single Student visa (subclass 500) regardless of their chosen course of study, student guardians can apply for the Student Guardian Visa (subclass 590), a single evidence level framework applies to all international students, and application are now lodged online via ImmiAccount.

Evidentiary Framework is a guide that is used to determine whether a visa applicant is required to provide evidence of English language proficiency and financial capability at the time of the Student visa application. When an applicant is only required to submit a declaration, instead of actual evidences, that they meet the English language proficiency and financial capability, it is because the Streamlined evidentiary requirements apply on their case. When Regular evidentiary requirements apply the student will generally be required to provide evidence of their financial and English language capacity with their visa application. Note however that the DHA retains the option to still ask any applicant for evidentiary evidence of their financial capability and English language proficiency anytime during the visa processing as they see fit.

Eligibility for Streamlined evidentiary requirements is determined on the combined immigration risk rating of the student’s country of citizenship and the education provider’s Education Provider Reports. Earlier we mentioned course packaging and how the last course is your main course as far as DHA is concerned, the significance of that here is that the immigration risk rating of your main course provider is factored to assess whether you qualified for Streamlined evidentiary requirement tor not.

The applicant’s main education provider and country of citizenship are allocated an ‘Evidence Level’ (EL) 1, 2 or 3. The combined country and education provider ‘Evidence Level’ determines whether a visa applicant is subject to streamlined (S) or regular (R) evidentiary requirements as show below in the table.

Please note that the evidence level allocated to a particular education provider does not reflect or determine its’ quality or academic outcomes.

V. Visa Conditions

Once granted a Student Visa you (and your family members included in your application) must comply to the conditions set forth in your visa, some of them may include:

V.A. Visa condition 8202 – Meet Course Requirement

1. Must be enrolled in a full-time study
2. You cannot transfer enrolment to a course that has lower AQF level than the course for which you were originally granted visa.
3. You must achieve satisfactory academic progress in your study
4. You must maintain satisfactory course attendance

V.B. Visa condition 8105 – Work limitation

You and your family members included in your Student Visa are allowed to work for a maximum of 40 hours per fortnight (fortnight = 2 weeks) once your study has commenced and is in session. When your course is out of session (i.e., in between semester breaks) you and your family members can work unlimited hours.

V.C. Visa condition 8501

You must maintain an Overseas Student Health Cover at all times while in Australia, for you and all of your family members included in your visa.

V.D. Visa condition 8516

You must continue to satisfy the criteria by which you were granted Student Visa, for example, continue to maintain good behaviour, have financial capacity to support your study and living expenses, etc.

V.E. Visa condition 8517

Your school-aged dependents included in your visa and staying with you in Australia for more than 3 months must at all times be enrolled in school.

V.F. Visa condition 8532

See II.B.2 above.