How to get an Australian student visa

If you are reading this article, this is probably a pretty exciting time for you. Chances are that you have decided to come to Australia to study, and you are looking at visa options!

First of all, congratulations on your decision! We hope you're going to have the time of your life studying abroad, and that you will love the Australian education system.

In terms of how to obtain a student visa, the first step is to identify what category your chosen course of study falls in. For example, if the main purpose of your study trip is to learn English, then you need an ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) student visa, while, if your main course of study is for a bachelor degree, graduate certificate or graduate diploma, then the right kind of visa for you will be the “Higher Education Sector Student Visa” (subclass 573). Bear in mind, that if one of the requirements of your bachelor degree is that you obtain an ELICOS certification in order to be admitted, you don't need to apply for both visas: your visa should reflect the main course you will attend, which is the reason you decided to travel.

A student visa will last for the duration of your course, however before you apply, check with the admission office of your chosen institution, whether the course you've enrolled in is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

Am I allowed to work with an Australian Student Visa?

You are allowed to work for up to 20 hours during term time, (unless some work experience is part of the curriculum of your course in which case the hours spent on study-work experience won't count towards the total 20) and unlimited hours outside of your course session. Bear in mind however that that attendance is compulsory for your chosen course. Your institute's programs office will notify the Australian Visa Bureau if you are not attending, and this may cost you your visa and you will be asked to leave Australia, so be careful. Even though it's easy to get carried away and the monetary return is appealing, don't let this distract you from your main objective, which is to obtain a degree!

Australian student visa requirements

You can apply for an Australian student visa from your city’s Australian Embassy. They can provide you with an application form, but it’s probably quicker to download it from the Australian Government Department for Immigration and Citizenship's website (where it is also possible to apply online), according to your ‘Assessment Level’ which determines, according to the country you travel from and the kind of course you came to study, the level of risk you represent to the country, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.
You will be asked for an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment Certificate, which proves you have been accepted on your chosen course, and should be issued by your education provider.

In order to obtain an Australian visa, part of the application process involves proving that you are of “good character” and healthy. Australians on the whole are laid back people and they want to make sure that Australian citizens and their lives won’t be disrupted or become an object or target of criminality. Health requirements vary depending on the applicant, and will usually be determined according to where you have lived or travelled in the past five years, as well as whether you are applying for a medical or childcare course. In addition to the various medical examinations to carry out prior to the departure, you will need to be in possession of acceptable health insurance policy.