The Student visa (subclass 500) is the main visa for international students coming to study in Australia, and it can also give you work rights while you're enrolled.
How long you're granted generally tracks the length of your course — some students end up with a visa covering several years of study, depending on their enrolment.
The subclass 500 covers pretty much the full range of Australian education: English language courses, school, vocational training, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and research programs. The one condition is that your course needs to be registered on CRICOS (the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) — that's the register that confirms a course is approved to enrol international students.
Most Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is running, and there's generally no cap once the course is out of session. A few groups sit outside this rule — doctoral and research master's students, for instance, and some family members can have different arrangements — so it's worth checking your own visa conditions on VEVO rather than assuming the standard limit applies to you.
Every subclass 500 application is assessed against the Genuine Student requirement, which essentially asks: are you actually here to study, and is that your real purpose for coming to Australia? The Department looks at your personal circumstances, ties back home, why you picked Australia and this particular course, your study and work history, and your plans for the future.
One thing worth knowing: having an eye on permanent residence down the track doesn't automatically work against you. Plenty of genuine students go on to build a migration pathway afterwards — the requirement is about the honesty of your current purpose, not a promise never to consider staying.
Beyond the Genuine Student test, you'll generally also need to:
Your partner and any dependent children can generally be included in your application, or added later as subsequent entrants. If they're already part of your family unit when you apply, they need to be declared even if they're not travelling with you straight away.
If you're under 18, you'll need approved welfare arrangements in place before you arrive — either through your education provider, a parent or legal custodian, or an approved student guardian — and those arrangements need to stay in place until you turn 18.
In broad strokes: pick a CRICOS-registered course and provider, get your Confirmation of Enrolment, pull together your supporting documents (passport, CoE, English test results, financial evidence, OSHC and so on), and lodge online through ImmiAccount. If the Department asks for evidence of your finances upfront, it's worth having it ready — an incomplete application can be refused without a second chance to provide it.
I can assess your eligibility before you apply, help you put together a genuine and well-evidenced Genuine Student case, sort out your financial and OSHC documentation, handle applications for accompanying family members, and manage the whole lodgement so nothing falls through the cracks.
Contact me to talk through your course, your visa options and what documentation you'll need.
The information on this page is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute migration advice for your individual circumstances. Student visa requirements, financial thresholds and processing arrangements can change, and meeting the general requirements described above does not guarantee that a visa will be granted. Professional advice should be obtained based on your individual circumstances before lodging a Student visa application.
