Student visa for Australia

How do I get a student visa for Australia? If you are thinking of traveling, studying, and working in this country for a period of more than three months, you should bear in mind that you will need a student visa. This will allow you not only to study and stay in Australia but also to work to cover your expenses, in case you need to do so.

Student visa for Australia - basic requirements

Let’s review then what the basic requirements are for obtaining a student visa:

English proficiency requirement: In the case of postgraduate studies or certain technical courses, the institution or the Department of Home Affairs may request an official level of English such as IELTS, PTE, or Cambridge, as well as proof of your previous studies.

What can I do and what can’t I do on a Student visa for Australia?

  • You can work 40 hours every two weeks while studying, and during breaks (holidays), you can work as many hours as you want.
  • You cannot start working before your course has started.
  • You must maintain good attendance and academic progress at your school.
  • You can include family members under your visa (partner and minor children). Your partner will be able to work a maximum of 40 hours every two weeks. Of course, keep in mind that you must demonstrate your relationship with dependents if you want to include them on your visa.

How long can I stay in Australia on my Student visa?

You can stay in Australia for the duration of your course, plus a vacation period. In addition, you will have the possibility to renew your student visa up to a maximum of 5 years, as long as you are studying.
Please note that attendance is important for your visa to remain valid, for example, in an English course, attendance must be at least 80%.
In other types of studies such as VET or higher studies, at least 80% attendance is also required. You must also make satisfactory progress in studies.

What issues does the Department of Home Affairs consider before giving me the visa?

These factors (especially your nationality and the institution) will largely determine if a visa is granted, that is, the Department of Home Affairs will assess the level of risk of your application.

¿Qué significa el nivel de riesgo?

The Australian student visa program consists of 3 levels of assessment that highlight the level of risk posed by an applicant from a country that has requested a particular education sector. The level of risk is classified from 1 (lowest risk) to 3 (highest risk) for each country and educational institution.

The type of passport you are going to travel with, and the chosen institution will determine the documentation you must provide in order to obtain your student visa for Australia. For more information, check the government’s website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/.

You also can contact us directly for personalised advice.

What is the application process like?

Trabajar en Australia como estudiante

Course registration

To apply for a student visa, you need a document called CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment). This document is obtained after payment of the tuition deposit to the educational institution of your choice *.

Trabajar en Australia como estudiante

ImmiAccount

Create an account with the Department of Home Affairs: ImmiAccount. They will ask you for personal information such as your name, phone number, email address, etc. Then you can create a password, accept the conditions, and that’s it **.

Trabajar en Australia como estudiante

Visa payment

Pay the visa and obtain the TRN number (reference number for the transaction). The easiest and most convenient way is to do it is with a credit or debit card. When the payment is complete, you will be given a receipt with a TRN number***.

* If you are going to do several programs or courses, for example, you will first study an English course and then do a vocational course, or you want to study at a university, you will need a CoE for each program.

** For more information, visit this website: web: https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login.

*** The visa application is currently $620 (July 2021). Be sure to save the TRN (Transaction Reference Number) to check the status of your application.

The documents you need to upload to your ImmiAccount account to obtain the student visa:

  1. Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
  2. Health insurance (OSHC).
  3. Copy of your passport with at least 6 months of validity.
  4. Letter of temporary stay or GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant).

For more information about the necessary documents, visit the government’s page: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/web-evidentiary-tool.

Possible health check-up and interview

Depending on your nationality and where you are going to study, you may also need to have a medical check-up (health requirement).

For more information: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/contact-us/offices-and-locations/list.

How long does the visa decision take?

How long it takes depends on where you are requesting it and how much work the Australian Department of Home Affairs has, but in our experience, a decision is usually made within 1 to 4 weeks.

You can check the status of your application by logging in to the Department of Home Affairs website: https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login.

Typically, Australian authorities will notify you by email once the student visa decision is approved. The visa is electronic, but if you want physical proof of it, you can print the approval letter that you will receive in your email.

Once your visa has been approved, you can then travel to Australia, 90 days before the course start date printed in your CoE.

Generally, the right to stay in Australia is 30 days after your course ends or 60 days if it lasts more than 10 months. All these date limits must be written on your visa.

Can I stay longer in Australia?

If you want to stay longer, you can renew your student visa for Australia for up to 5 years on the condition that you are studying in the country.

You can also extend your stay in Australia in the following cases:

  • If your student visa expires before graduation, you can apply for a visitor visa (Subclass 600 Visitor visa). You will need a letter from your educational institution with the date of your graduation.
  • If you complete a master’s, doctorate, or technical course lasting at least 92 weeks (two academic years) in Australia, you can apply for a Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa).
  • If you are a recent engineering graduate from an Australian institution, you could obtain the Subclass 476 Skilled Recognised Graduate visa.

Visit this website for more details: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/visa-about-to-expire.

We hope that all this information has been very useful to you, and if you still have questions about how to obtain your student visa for Australia, contact us! We will offer you free and personalized advice so you can start preparing for your trip to this wonderful country and have a unique experience.

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