Student Visas

Student visas are for applicants who have the intention to study in Australia. 

To qualify, you need to:

• be at least 6 years of age;
• have been accepted to study at an educational institution in Australia; and
• have health insurance.

Once approved, the holder may be permitted to remain in Australia up to 5 years.

There are also some important elements considered before a student visa will be approved. These include checking the education provider is on CRICOS; confirmation of enrolment (CoE), advising of the course type (determines subclass), the country of citizenship (determines assessment levels) and checking basic English levels.

Commonwealth Register of Courses and Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

To be eligible for a student visa, you must first be approved by the education provider for a full-time course registered through CRICOS. You will only be granted a visa by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) if these conditions are met.

Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE):

If your application for the course is approved, you will receive a letter of offer or electronic confirmation of enrolment (CoE) if the tuition fee is paid. Once you have this, you can apply for the visa. Konnecting can do both of these for you. With the grant of your student visa, you will also receive automatic part-time work rights, usually 20 hours per week during term.

If you are under 18 years of age, you need to have welfare arrangements in place while in Australia.

Genuine Temporary Entrant

This applies to all student visa applicants. The officer assessing the visa will and consider whether the individual circumstances of the student indicates that their intention is for a temporary stay in Australia. You must satisfy that you have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily.

English Language Level

Certain courses (and visa subclasses) may require a particular English level to enable you to complete the course. You may need to undertake English language preparation courses.

Health Insurance

You must have adequate health insurance through the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for yourself and your accompanying family members.

Student Visa Conditions

Student visas are temporary visas. Generally, you will be issued a multiple travel visa for the duration of your course. You may have secondary applicants on your visa application. You will have limited work rights on your student visa.

Pathway to Permanent Residence (PR)

While on a student visa it may be possible to apply for other visas if eligibility criteria are met. These visas include:

(1) Skilled - Graduate Subclass 485 (Temporary Residence)

(2) Skilled - Recognised Graduate Subclass 476(Temporary Residence)

(3) Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) - (Temporary Residence)

(4) Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (TSS Visa – Medium Term)

(5) Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) - (Permanent Residence)

(6) Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) - (Permanent Residence)

(7) Skilled - Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) - (Three Year Provisional Visa)

(8) Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) (subclass 186) - (Permanent Residence)

(9) Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187) - (Permanent Residence)

Updates: 

As of 01 July 2016, the following visa subclasses has been closed: