student visa
subclass 500 590
Australia is one of the top destination when it comes to education. International students in Australia enjoy world-class education in cities consistently ranked amongst the world’s happiest. Australian education is not only of an incredibly high standard but offers many pathways across all study levels, in virtually every study field. Qualifications from Australian universities are highly regarded and globally recognized by employers and institutions alike.
Australian Education System (AQF Framework)
To understand Australian Education system, it is important to become familiar with Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and understand the range of study options available.
The AQF is a system of 17 national qualifications in 3 sectors:
- Schools
- Vocational Education & Training (TAFE and private providers)
- Higher Education (mainly Universities)
AQF Qualification by Sector Accreditation
Below table shows the qualifications grouped together according to the relevant education sector.
Schools Sector Accreditation
Senior Secondary Certificate of Education
Vocational & Technical Education Sector Accreditation
Vocational Graduate Diploma
Vocational Graduate Certificate
Advance Diploma
Diploma
Certificate IV
Certificate III
Certificate II
Certificate I
Higher Education Sector Accreditation
Doctoral Degree
Masters Degree
Graduate Diploma
Graduate Certificate
Bachelor Degree
Associate Degree
Advance Diploma
Diploma
Who is eligible?
If you are a school student, you must be 6 years or older. You must also be:
- less than 17 years old when you begin Year 9
- less than 18 years old when you begin Year 10
- less than 19 years old when you begin Year 11
- less than 20 years old when you begin Year 12
What can you study?
- English Course
- School – Primary through to Senior Secondary
- VET – Vocational Courses
- University – Higher Education
- University – Post-Graduate Education
500
500
590
590
This is a temporary visa that allows international students to study, live and work in Australia.
Before applying for this visa, students must be accepted for full-time study in a registered course or part of a registered course in a registered education institute in Australia.
The course must be a CRICOS certified course and being run by a CRICOS certified provider.
The validity period of a student visa will generally be determined by the length of the course. You can also bring your partner or dependent child with you on Student visa.
Eligibility Conditions Requirements
Course of Study
you must provide an evidence of an enrolment in a course of study when you apply for this visa.
The study must be in a full time course registered on CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students).
Health Requirements
you and any family members who apply for this visa with you must meet Australia’s health requirement. The Department of Home Affairs might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the requirement.
Welfare Arrangements
if you are under 18, you must have adequate welfare arrangements in place while you are in Australia.
Learn more about Welfare Arrangements.
Character Requirements
you and any family members who apply for this visa with you must meet Australia’s character requirement. The Department of Home Affairs might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the requirement.
English Language
you might need to provide an evidence of your English language skills when you apply for this visa. Generally the evidence is an English language test result. e.g. IELTS, PTE, TOEFL etc.
if you are appearing for an English language test, you must score a minimum of 5.5 in IELTS (or equivalent) to apply for this visa. However, educational institutions might place a higher requirement in place for entry to a course.
Funding Arrangements
you must have sufficient funds available to pay for your study, living and general expenses in Australia.
if you have family members included in the application, you must show evidence of funds for their expenses as well.
As a general guide, you need to demonstrate capacity for
- 1 year tuition fee,
- AUD 21,041 towards your living expenses,
- AUD 7,362 towards your partner’s living expenses,
- AUD 3,152 towards your child’s living expenses,
- AUD 8,296 for school aged dependents, and
- Travel expenses
Genuine Temporary Entrant
you must be a genuine temporary entrant and intend to return back to home country after completing your studies in Australia.
Learn more about GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant).
Health Insurance (OSHC)
you and your family members must maintain adequate health insurance for the entire visa duration.
this health cover is called OSHC – Overseas Student Health Cover and is only available from an approved Australian health insurance provider.
Existing/ Previous Visa
if you have one of the below visas, you cannot apply for this visa while you are in Australia:
- Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
- Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)
- Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only
- Transit visa (subclass 771)
- Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Sponsored Family stream or in the Approved Destination Status stream
Previous Visa Cancellations & Refusals
you might not be granted this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.
Visa Fees Charges
Visa cost starts from AUD 620. You can include family members in this visa application, but an additional charge applies for each of the members included in the application.
Another significant cost to be aware of is OSHC. You can get an estimate for an OSHC here.
Application Process Location
you can apply for this visa either onshore or offshore and can be in Australia at the time of the decision.
any family members who are included in this visa application also must be in the same country as the main applicant when applying for this visa.
Processing Times Duration
Processing times for this visa category depends on the education sector you are enrolled for. The Department of Home Affairs provide the below duration as average time frames:
Independent ELICOS Sector
- 75% of applications in 33 days
- 90% of applications in 60 days
Schools Sector
- 75% of applications in 29 days
- 90% of applications in 57 days
Vocational Education and Training Sector
- 75% of applications in 60 days
- 90% of applications in 76 days
Higher Education Sector
- 75% of applications in 15 days
- 90% of applications in 53 days
Postgraduate Research Sector
- 75% of applications in 77 days
- 90% of applications in 5 months
This is a temporary visa similar to Student Visa subclass 500, however only eligible for applicants who come to Australia to provide care and support for a student visa holder who is under 18 years of age.
You are not allowed to work while on this visa in Australia.
If the student is under 18 years of age, a guardian can accompany him/her on the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) to provide care.
The length of this visa is determined by the student visa holder’s stay and age.
Eligibility Conditions Requirements
Parent, Custodian or Relative
you must be:
- the parent of the student visa holder, or
- a person who has custody of the student, or
- a relative of the student, aged 21 years or older and nominate by a parent or person who has custody of the student
Health requirement
you and any family members who apply for this visa with you must meet Australia’s health requirement. The Department of Home Affairs might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the requirement.
Welfare Arrangements
you must make adequate welfare arrangements of any family member who:
- is not coming with you to Australia
- is under 18 years of age
- does not have a student visa
you must be able to provide for the student visa holder.
Character Requirements
you and any family members who apply for this visa with you must meet Australia’s character requirement. The Department of Home Affairs might also ask that other non-migrating family members meet the requirement.
English Language
you might need to provide an evidence of your English language skills when you apply for this visa. Generally the evidence is an English language test result. e.g. IELTS, PTE, TOEFL etc.
if you are appearing for an English language test, you must score a minimum of 5.5 in IELTS (or equivalent) to apply for this visa. However, educational institutions might place a higher requirement in place for entry to a course.
Funding Arrangements
you must have sufficient funds available to pay for your living and general expenses in Australia.
if you have family members included in the application, you must show evidence of funds for their expenses as well.
Genuine Temporary Entrant
you must be a genuine temporary entrant and intend to return back to home country after the student visa holder either:
- completes his/her studies in Australia.
- turns 18 years old
Learn more about GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant).
Health Insurance (OVHC)
you and your family members must maintain adequate health insurance for the entire visa duration.
this health cover is called OVHC – Overseas Visitor Health Cover and is only available from an approved Australian health insurance provider.
Existing/ Previous Visa
if you have one of the below visas, you cannot apply for this visa while you are in Australia:
- Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
- Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)
- Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only
- Transit visa (subclass 771)
- Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Sponsored Family stream or in the Approved Destination Status stream
Previous Visa Cancellations & Refusals
you might not be granted this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused while you were in Australia.
Visa Fees Charges
Visa cost starts from AUD 620. You can include family members in this visa application, but an additional charge applies for each of the members included in the application.
Another significant cost to be aware of is OVHC. Way2Oz Migration Services can assist in getting this cover for you.
Application Process Location
you can apply for this visa either onshore or offshore and can be in Australia at the time of the decision.
any family members who are included in this visa application also must be in the same country as the main applicant when applying for this visa.
Processing Times Duration
The Department of Home Affairs provide the below duration as average time frames:
- 75% of applications in 63 days
- 90% of applications in 3 months
Need help? Call our expert team at (61) 469 839 836
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