Student Visa in Australia

Allows full-time study in a CRICOS-registered course (Study Australia). The visa generally runs for the length of your enrolment (up to 5 years) plus a short period after the course end date. You must keep a valid enrolment and OSHC throughout.

• From 23 March 2024, the Genuine Student requirement replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) criterion (Home Affairs).
• The application asks targeted questions about your circumstances in India (family, community, employment, economic ties), why you chose this course and provider, how it connects to your previous study or work, and the value of the course to your future.
• Case officers also consider immigration history and compliance with past visas.
• Answer specifically, and keep answers consistent with your SOP, CoE and financial documents.

What the GS assessment does and does not test

• Home Affairs states that genuine students may develop skills Australia needs and may later choose to apply for permanent residence, and that future intentions of this kind do not count against an applicant (Home Affairs, Genuine Student requirement). What matters is that study is your primary reason for applying now.
• The decision looks at your whole application - answers, history, finances, provider and course - not at the wording of one document. No phrasing guarantees a grant, and answers that do not match your records create doubt.
• Interviews: Home Affairs may contact you or request more information during processing. Many universities run their own GS screening, which can include an interview, before issuing a CoE.

• On 8 January 2026, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan moved from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3, the highest-scrutiny tier under the Simplified Student Visa Framework. The Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool shows the evidence required for your country and provider.
• Your evidence level combines your country's level and your provider's level. At Level 3 you should expect to lodge full financial and English evidence with the application, rather than relying on a declaration (Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool).
• Processing priority is set separately by Ministerial Direction 115 (in effect since 14 November 2025): Priority 1 until a provider reaches 80% of its NPL allocation, Priority 2 from 80% to 115%, Priority 3 from 115%; TAFE, postgraduate research and eligible scholarship students get Priority 1 (Ministerial Direction 115).
• Practical response: build a documented funds history months ahead, explain the source of any large deposits, and choose a provider with a strong compliance record.

• Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
• GS answers and supporting evidence
• Financial capacity evidence: AUD 29,710 living costs + first-year tuition + AUD 2,000 travel + family costs (Mandatory visa financial requirements)
• OSHC for the full visa period
• English test results
• Academic transcripts and certificates
• Valid passport
• Health examinations and police certificates if requested (Health examinations, biometrics and police checks)

• Charge: AUD 2,500 for the primary applicant from 1 July 2026 (up from AUD 2,000), set by the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026. The charge is generally non-refundable, including on refusal.
• Processing time: Home Affairs publishes live global processing times; they vary by sector, provider priority and completeness. There is no fixed standard time, so check the Home Affairs processing-time tool when you apply.
• Refusal drivers: Home Affairs does not publish a national breakdown of student visa refusal reasons; make the evidence the application asks for (funds and GS answers) complete and consistent.

Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session; unlimited during official breaks; unlimited once a Master's by research or doctorate has commenced (Part-time work rules during study).

• Health examinations are required depending on your country of residence, intended course (for example health or childcare placements) and length of stay; Home Affairs tells you after lodgement or through the "My health declarations" service. Only panel physicians can perform them (Home Affairs).
• Biometrics (photo and fingerprints) may be requested at an Australian Visa Application Centre in India.
• Police certificates are requested when needed; they are generally valid for 12 months from issue (Home Affairs).
• Delays often come from expired documents or names spelled differently across passport, transcripts and bank records.

• Read the refusal letter's reasons before anything else.
• Offshore student visa refusals generally carry no merits review; onshore refusals may be reviewable by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which replaced the AAT in October 2024. Check the letter for review rights and deadlines.
• A new application needs new or better evidence addressing each refusal reason, and a new visa charge.
• Contact your provider about refunds under its refund policy.
• Do not give inconsistent explanations across applications; previous applications are on your record.

• Stay enrolled and maintain satisfactory attendance and progress.
• Keep OSHC current.
• Respect the work limit (condition 8105).
• Tell your provider about address changes within the required time.
• Know your visa expiry date; apply for any next visa before it ends.
• From 1 July 2024, visitor visa and Temporary Graduate (485) holders cannot apply for a student visa while in Australia (Study Australia).

• A partner and dependent children can be included in the application or added later.
• Extra funds: AUD 10,394 per partner, AUD 4,449 per child, AUD 13,502 school costs per school-age child; each needs OSHC (Home Affairs).
• Partner work rights: unlimited if the primary student is studying a Master's or doctorate; otherwise up to 48 hours per fortnight during the student's course sessions (Home Affairs).
• School-age children must attend school; government school fees for student-visa dependants vary by state.

Bringing family now or later

• You must declare all family members in your student visa application, even if they will not travel with you. If you do not declare them, they will not be eligible for a student visa to join you at any stage (Study Australia).
• Declared family can apply later as subsequent entrants, separately, in ImmiAccount after your visa is granted.
• If someone becomes your family member after you lodge but before a decision, tell Home Affairs.
• A later, separate application usually costs more than including family from the start, because it is charged as its own application; check the Visa Pricing Estimator. Under MD115, offshore subsequent-entrant applications from adults are generally Priority 2, so they may take longer.

• A student visa cannot be "extended". If your course end date moves (failed units, approved deferral, course change), you apply for a new subclass 500 visa from within Australia before your current visa expires (Study Australia).
• You need a new or updated CoE covering the remaining study, and you must meet all criteria again: Genuine Student, financial capacity, OSHC and the visa charge (AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026).
• If you lodge a valid application before your visa expires, you will usually be granted a Bridging visa A that keeps you lawful while it is processed; check its work conditions on VEVO.
• You cannot apply for a student visa onshore while holding a visitor visa or a Temporary Graduate (485) visa (from 1 July 2024) (Study Australia).
• Keep your provider's letters explaining why the course was extended; a history of failed units is considered under GS.

• Check the Home Affairs global processing times tool and your ImmiAccount for any request for more information; respond by the stated deadline.
• You cannot pay to expedite a student visa, and lodging a second application does not speed up the first.
• Tell your provider early if you may miss the start date; ask about late arrival or deferring to the next intake, and how that changes your CoE.
• Do not book non-refundable flights or rental leases until the visa is granted.
• If the delay seems unreasonable, you can contact Home Affairs through its Global Feedback Unit.

The GS questions in the application ask about your situation, your course choice and its value to you. For each answer:

• [ ] Current circumstances: family, work, economic and community ties in India, stated factually.
• [ ] Course and provider: why this course, this provider and this city, with specifics (units, placements, accreditation), and what alternatives in India you considered.
• [ ] Link to your history: how it follows from your previous study or work; explain any gap or change of field.
• [ ] Value to your future: the realistic role or pathway it leads to, in India or elsewhere.
• [ ] Immigration history: disclose previous refusals or visas honestly; they are already on record.
• [ ] Consistency: every answer matches your SOP, CoE, CV and financial documents.

Write in your own words. Generic or template answers, including copied AI-generated text, are easy for case officers to recognise.

At Evidence Level 3, provide evidence up front rather than a declaration:

• [ ] Savings or fixed deposits with statements showing how the balance built up
• [ ] Education loan sanction letter (not just an application) from a recognised lender
• [ ] Scholarship award letter, if any
• [ ] Sponsor evidence if parents or relatives fund you: relationship proof, their statements, and income evidence (for example income tax returns and salary slips)
• [ ] Explanations and documents for any large recent deposit (property sale deed, FD maturity, gift deed)
• [ ] Totals that cover AUD 29,710 living costs + first-year tuition + AUD 2,000 travel + any family costs (Mandatory visa financial requirements)

Funds borrowed briefly to show a balance, or balances that cannot be traced, are a common reason for further questions.