Ways on How to Obtain Your Student Visa in Australia

Australia has some of the world’s best universities, a reason so many international students want to travel there for study there. However, you’ll need a study visa to study in Australia. Though UK citizens don’t necessarily need a visa to gain access to Australia, but they will have to obtain it to earn a graduate or postgraduate degree from an Australian university.

So, follow the steps below to obtain a student visa to Australia.

How to Get Your Student Visa in Australia

1. Secure admission to Australian University

Before you start applying for your student visa, you ought to apply for admission into a choice Australian university. You will then receive an admission offer once your documents have been revised by the admission committee. After securing your admission, the next thing to do is to pay the tuition deposit. There are different tuition deposits for different universities in Australia. International students who have received a full-tuition scholarship, don’t need to pay the tuition fee. You will get a Confirmation of Enrollment after the tuition has been clarified. You will be able to start the student visa application process with this Confirmation of Enrollment.

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Note: You may have to enroll a preparatory English language course if your English language competency does not meet the required criteria of the Australian university you’ve been admitted to.

2. Start the Online Application Process for visa

The application process for the Australian student visa starts with an online application. The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs is responsible for issuing visas to foreign students.

Ensure the name you are using for your visa registration matches the name on your travel passport. Submit a valid phone number and email address so that you can be contacted easily.

3. Prepare your documents

Make digital copies of the Certificate of Enrollment and of the OSHC health insurance because you cannot study in Australia without it. You can easily purchase it from brokers.

Your travel passport should remain valid all through the period of your studies to save yourself the stress of having to have it replacing it while in Australia. You should also have your passport scanned.

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After scanning, attach it to your application for Proof of Temporary Stay. The Australian authorities want to be certain you aren’t planning on finally relocating to the country. This proof can be a translated to English and attached to a copy of your work agreement.

You have to provide a bank statement of account to proof that you can finance your studies while in Australia.

Also, you may have to produce a scanned copy of your birth certificate and Certificate Showing No Previous Conviction – both translated into English and legalized.

You may equally need to provide evidence of competency in English independently apart from the one you submitted for your university admission. This may be in the form of IELTS or TOEFL results.

In some cases, you may be required to produce proof of previous employment and several consecutive paychecks.

4. Finalize Your Online Visa Application

Specify that you are applying for student visa subclass 500 in your online visa application. You can file an online visa application about 124 days prior to the start of your program, stated in the Confirmation of Enrollment.

You are expected to fill in your nationality and your coE code(s) on the first page of your online application. You are to select the education type which do appear in categories like secondary, graduate, postgraduate, or a preparatory language course.

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You may be required to offer information about your bill of health. You will enter personal information about your family members and answer a number of questions about your education background, including work experience.

5. Visa Fee Payment and TRN-number

The Australian Home Office quoted on their official website the base application charge of AUD 620. After your payment is processed, you will receive a TNR number, which you can use to track the status of your application.

6. Medical Tests & Interview

You may be contacted by the Australian embassy or consulate in your country for a visa interview, though this is rare. The Australians take precautions against importing viruses, bacteria, and other biohazards from foreign countries. The embassy officials may refer you to certified medical practitioners in your country, whose health certificates are renowned by the authorities in Australia.

7. Wait to receive you visa grant letter

At this state, all you have to do is to wait for about 30 days to receive your visa grant letter, provided you accurately completed all of the steps. You may get your visa grant letter within 30 days of filing your electronic application.

8. Arrange Your Travel

Once you have gotten your student visa, ensure you enter Australia three months before the start of your program. You can use this time to take care of all your accommodation and transport matters.

If you want to live off campus, you must provide the university with your address in Australia within seven days from your arrival date. Your student visa allows you to travel around Australia for at least two months after your study ends.

Image source: studyinternational.com