Before applying for a Student Visa, one must first be accepted for full time study in a registered course offered at one of Australia’s schools, technical colleges or universities. Most educational institutions have their own website, allowing the student to apply online.
Importance of Student Visa
A Student Visa provides the student with temporary resident status and is valid for the entire duration of the course. After completion of studies, the student will be required to leave Australia by the date specified in the visa, unless he/she is making an application for another temporary or permanent residency visa.
- English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) Visa: It is meant for students planning to take an English course, which does not result into a degree.
- Vocational Education and Training (VET) Visa: It is meant for those students who wish to take an intensive English Language Course.
- Higher Education Visa: It includes higher academic degrees (anywhere from academic levels 5 to 9 according to the Australian Qualifications Framework)
- Postgraduate Research Visa: It includes Master’s and Doctoral degrees.
- Non-Award Visa: Meant for exchange program students who would reside in Australia for a semester.
Assessment Criteria
Student Visa Application is assessed on:
- Student’s capacity to cover the cost of airfares to Australia, tuition, accommodation, and other general expenses.
- The capacity of the student to support any accompanying dependent family member for the duration of stay, if necessary.
- Level of English language proficiency. If English is not the student’s first language, he/she may need to undertake the IELTS English test.
- The student’s situation in the home country, i.e. personal, financial, employment and other commitments which might prompt him/her to return home or other circumstances, e.g. military service commitments.
- Past academic record and history, in the context of the course he/she intends to study
- Immigration history e.g. previous compliance with immigration laws, whether he/she has any outstanding debts to the Commonwealth of Australia, and whether he/she has previously applied for entry into Australia.
- The proposed course of study and whether it is a reasonable choice, given the circumstances of the student.
- Whether the proposed course of study is consistent with, and appropriate to the student’s current level of education.
Other General Requirements
- The student’s ability to satisfy the health requirement. Any dependent family members included in the visa application are also required to meet the health requirement. The student may be directed to undergo a health examination and chest x-ray and forward the results to DIAC, before the processing of student visa application is completed.
- Ability to satisfy the character requirement. The student must be of “good character” to enter Australia and will be required to provide a declaration in the application form.
- Student’s responsibility to have private health insurance throughout his/her stay in Australia. It is compulsory to obtain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) before submitting the visa application. Any accompanying dependent family members must also be covered by this insurance.
