Australia Student Visa Eligibility & Requirements: Everything You Need to Know

Australia student visa requirements: Getting ready for student visa application

If you plan on studying in Australia, it's important to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements and conditions in advance. This will make the task of applying for your student visa much easier. While studying in Australia can be a dream come true, obtaining a visa and meeting all the requirements can be overwhelming. Knowing exactly what to prepare ahead of time is one step toward success. The quicker you can provide all the necessary documents to the visa officers, the sooner you'll receive your visa results.

In this post, we'll provide you with a guide on all the requirements you need to meet to successfully get your Australia student visa (subclass) approved, and explain in detail what they are.

Below are some of the most relevant and essential requirements you need to prepare before applying for your Australian student visa. Your success will depend on how well you address these requirements:

💬 Firstly, get your CoE ready

💬 Get your English language certificate ready

💬 Get an adequate health insurance policy ready

💬 Check out for the genuine temporary entrant requirement

💬 Get the character requirement document ready

💬 Get ready for the health requirements

💬 Get ready for the financial requirements

#1 Get your CoE ready (Confirmation of Enrollment)

This document is necessary proof of enrollment that your institution must provide. It is the first document you need to obtain in order to apply for a student visa. After you have been accepted, your institution will send you this document as proof of enrollment. The document contains details about your enrollment, such as whether you are a scholarship or self-sponsored student, whether you have paid tuition fees, whether you have the relevant health care insurance, whether your institution is registered in the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS), and whether your course is full-time or not. You will usually receive this document via email as soon as your admission is confirmed. However, depending on your sponsor type and conditions, there may be other evidence of enrollment, such as a letter of support.

#2 Get your English Language Certificate ready

For individuals coming from countries where English is not the primary language or those without an English background, it is necessary to provide proof of English language proficiency to meet the requirements for a student visa. Generally, universities have set standards for English language proficiency that satisfy the visa requirement. For the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), it is necessary to score above 6.5 overall, with no band score lower than 6.

#3 Get an adequate Health Insurance Cover(OSHC) ready

If you are planning to apply for an Australian study visa, there is another essential requirement that you must fulfill. As the living costs and medical expenses are quite high in Australia, the government mandates that you have adequate health cover to manage any medical expenses that may arise during your stay in the country. If you are a self-sponsored student, you should arrange for appropriate Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) through your institution or directly from one of the approved providers, such as:
ahm OSHC, Allianz Global Assistance (Peoplecare Health), BUPA Australia, CBHS International Health, Medibank Private, NIB OSHC.

It's important to note that as an international student in Australia, you are required to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of your stay, starting from the day you arrive in Australia. This requirement applies to all international students except those from Norway, Belgium, and Sweden who have alternative insurance schemes or reciprocal health care agreements with Australia. If you're on a scholarship, your institution will usually arrange OSHC for you during the admission process. For more information on how to obtain OSHC, and some helpful tips, check out our article on "What Is OSHC? How to meet this essential student visa requirement." Also check here how to find a suitable OSHC

#4 Check out for the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement(GTE)

If you're seeking an Australian student visa, you must fulfil one of the essential requirements, which is to prove that you're a genuine temporary entrant (GTE). This means that you must provide a letter of agreement, known as a genuine temporary entrant statement, stating that you genuinely intend to come to Australia temporarily for the sole purpose of obtaining a quality education. You need to demonstrate that you are only in Australia for your study period and have no further intentions to remain in the country.

In addition to your genuine temporary entrant statement, the Australian Department of Home Affairs will consider several factors to assess this particular criterion, including

the situation in your home country,
your potential situation in Australia,
the value of the course to your future, and
your immigration history, among others.

#5 Get the character requirement document ready

If you want to obtain a visa for Australia, you need to meet certain requirements, including being of good character. This means that you should have a clean criminal record and be able to maintain good behaviour once you enter Australia. One way to demonstrate this is by providing a police clearance certificate, which involves undergoing a criminal background check. Depending on your specific circumstances, additional tasks may be required to meet the character requirement. To learn more about visa character requirements, please visit the relevant official website.

#6 Get ready for the Health Requirements

When applying for a student visa in Australia, it is a requirement to undergo a medical check-up to ensure that you meet the minimum health standard. The country has a high health standard, and to be granted a visa, you must pass the medical examinations, which may include x-rays and body checkups. The medical tests may vary depending on your country of residence and the duration of your stay in Australia. You will be directed to an approved medical center in your country of residence, and once the tests are complete, the medical institution will send the results directly to the visa office. You will receive an email confirming whether or not you have passed the medical requirements. For more information on the health requirements for a visa, please refer to the relevant resources.

#7 Get ready for the Financial Requirements

Studying and living in Australia can be quite expensive, so the Australian government requires students to provide evidence of their financial capacity to support themselves while studying. As of 2018, students are expected to show proof of having at least AU$20,290 (~US$13,750) per year for living expenses, not including tuition fees. However, simply having this amount of money is not enough - students must also provide evidence of how they earned it, whether through employment or sponsorship from family members. If a student is on a scholarship, they only need to provide evidence of their scholarship forms.

Typical List of documents you are expected to submit

The Department of Home Affairs website requires a list of documents, usually in the form of PDF or JPG, to be prepared. The website's document checklist engine can provide you with the exact list of documents required based on your circumstances. However, additional documents may be required depending on individual circumstances. Once all the necessary documents are acquired, you will need to create an ImmiAccount to fill out the visa application form and submit the documents. I have another post that provides a simplified step-by-step process, including screenshots to assist you in creating your ImmiAccount and submitting your visa application successfully. The typical documents students need to submit include:

Transcripts and certificates,
English Language Proficiency Test
official identification documents( Passport)
CoE (Certificate of Enrollment sent by your institution)
Genuine temporary entrant statement with any other supporting documentation.
Overseas Student Health Cover ( This usually is found on your coe with just the name and code of the organisation mentioned on it)
Police clearance Certificate from criminal record background check ( For character check requirement)
Evidence of your financial capability ( bank statements if you are self-sponsored and scholarship support form if you are a scholarship holder)
Four recent passport-size photos( This will be submitted when you go for a health examination at the medical centre)

Please note that your medical results will be sent directly by the medical institution to the Department of Home Affairs. Once this is done, you will need to prepare for your visa application fees, which at present, is approximately AU$620 (~US$420).

To ensure that you have all the necessary documents for your visa application, you can make use of the Department of Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool. This tool will provide you with a list of documents that need to be attached based on your country of passport and education provider.

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