Australian Student Visa for International Students
Australia is one of the most popular destinations for international students. Applying for an Australian student visa requires you to not just follow the application process, but also sign the Australian Values Statement to respect their way of life and to follow the Australian laws. Let's go through the visa-related details in the following sections.
Australian Student Visa Application Process
The course a candidate is applying for should be listed in CRICOS, i.e., Australian Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. One has to fulfil the following criteria and have the listed documents to be eligible to apply:
- The candidate should be over 16 years old and needs a valid passport.
- Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) from a college in Australia.
- Skilled in English language, CV in case you were employed along with your latest academic transcripts.
- Must be willing to return home once the course is completed.
- Should provide supporting documents of financial means. Since the website of Australian given is updated regarding the financial requirement proofs every year in March and September, you need to keep an eye on it, not to miss out anything.
In general, you can produce the following documents as proof of your financial capacity:
- Evidence that you can support your cost of living for at least a year in Australia, as well as pay your flight charges and tuition fees. It is also applicable for the candidate's family members if they are accompanying you.
- For a single student, the annual income must be 60,000 AUD. For a student with family members, the annual income must be 70,000 AUD.
- Australia's health and character requirements have to be fulfilled.
- The previous Australian visa must not have been refused or cancelled.
- Students who have to stay for over six months need to undergo a health examination for the visa application. Health insurance is also required. For this, Australia provides OSHC, i.e. Overseas Student Health Coverage. One needs to have a valid OSHC before physically entering the country irrespective of the visa or study course starting date.
- Biometric information might also be needed if notified by the Australian Immigration Authorities. It has to be done after application submission.
Steps Involved in Getting the Australia Student Visa
Begin your visa process at least six weeks before the start date of your course commencement. Here are the steps to be followed:
- Get acceptance from the desired college to enrol in the institution.
- Keep all the documents mentioned above ready. Candidates can check the documents needed by their specific institution using the Document Checklist Tool.
- An ImmiAccount has to be created where you can visit "new application". Complete it and upload all the documents.
- Then pay the application fees and submit it.
- Track the application to know the visa decision as well as if any additional documents might be needed.
- When Australian authorities grant the visa application, you will get a visa grant number and visa conditions and expiry dates.
If it is refused, you will get to know the reason and if there are any chances of reviewing the decision.
Processing Time and Fees
Visa processing time for higher education takes around 69 days to 4 months, and for postgraduate research candidates, it takes approximately 4-12 months. Incomplete or incorrectly filled applications will need more processing time. Applications won't be processed without payment of the application fees, which are 620 AUD.
Students enrolled in courses that are for 10 months can stay 1-2 months even after the course is completed. Similarly, postgraduate candidates can stay up to 6 months after completing the studies.
Conclusion
You can apply online for an Australian student visa on the Australian Government's immigration website, but to collect the documents, you have to visit the local service providers recommended in the ImmiAccount. It is always recommended to contact an immigration specialist for additional information if you have a specific requirement.
