Student Visa for Australia
Australian Study Visa
Indian students who want to study in Australia, need to obtain a student visa. With a student visa, students are allowed to stay and study in the country for up to five years, at an acknowledged higher education institution. Students can apply for a student visa using their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) or admission confirmation letter provided by the university or the intuition registered under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions of Courses (CRICOS).
The Indian students can apply for their Visa either by creating an online account on ImmiAccount in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) or by visiting the nearest Australian visa office.
Documents Required for an Australian student visa
- A valid passport
- Students filled Australian student visa application form (157A)
- 4 recent passport-sized photographs
- Statement of purpose (SOP)
- English proficiency requirement: IELTS, TOEFL IBT, Pearson Test of English(PTE) Academic, and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) test score is valid
- Receipt of the Application fees paid
- Certificate of Enrolment (CoE) [Application/admission confirmation letter] from the applied university/institution
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): All the international students must have covered health insurance before applying for an Australian study visa
- All academic documents and work experience certificate
- Proof of financial ability to meet the cost of living (travel, living expenses, and return air ticket) which is around AUD 21,041 for a year
- Income proof of the sponsors.
- Health/Medical Certificate: Indian student must submit medical check-up records from a doctor who is approved by the Australian immigration department
- Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement: It was introduced in November 2011 to state the actual the intention of the international student to stay in Australia for their studies and some students have to attend an interview at the nearest Australian embassy.
The managerial team at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) consider the factors like applicant’s history of immigration, the value of the course the applicant has applied for, considering their future career objective, the potential circumstances for the applicant in Australia and any other relevant matters.
If students have managed the entire necessary document according to the Australian student visa requirements, then they can apply for a student visa with the online ‘ImmiAccount’ application system.
Students are supposed to apply for the Visa at least 12 weeks before their institution’s orientation date.
Study Abroad Australian Visa: Assessment Levels
Country of origin
- The field of study
- The university student is studying at, and
- The study level [based on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) standards]
If the applicant is placed in the higher assessment level then the person has to submit more documents before obtaining an Australian student visa. The assessment level generally depends upon past compliance with immigration standards and other parameters that determine the immigration risk. Students’ Australian visa application will be assigned a Transaction Reference Number (TRN) by the Australian Government.
Visa processing time and validity
Usually, it takes 4-5 weeks to process the application once it was filed.
If the duration of the course student has applied is more than 10 months and completes by mid of the December (Australian academic year), then his/her visa will expire on 15th of March of the corresponding year. However, if the extent of their course is more than 10 months and finishes in between January and October, then visa will be valid for 2 months following the completion of the applied course.
What if your study duration is less than 2 years?
There is a special subclass of visa called Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485), international students are eligible for this visa if the duration, of course, is less than 2 years or the qualification is below that of a bachelor degree (diploma/trade-level certificate).
The essential requirements/work rights included are:- Students can work in Australia for a period of 18 months and up to 4 years, depending on their qualification
- It does not confine the number of hours of work
- The applicant must have a valid student visa in the last 6 months and should fulfill all the requirements like Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), English proficiency
- To qualify for the visa the applicant has to qualify the skill assessment in an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List.