Australian Student Visa

The purpose of the subclass 500 – Student visa is to allow international students to undertake education and training in Australia. This visa enables a student to stay in Australia for the duration of the relevant course. The student must enrol with (or in some cases have a letter of offer from) an Australian education provider before lodging a visa application.

Here at Migration Unity, we are partnered with various leading Australian education providers. We will ensure that you are enrolled with a suitable institution and take care of the entire process for you.

If you enrol in a course through Migration Unity our service will be entirely free.

The exact requirements for this visa will depend upon the level of risk assigned to your application (the ‘Immigration Risk’), which is determined by the risk ratings of your education provider and your passport nationality.

As the visa applicant, you must:

• enrol with an Australian education provider, and obtain written confirmation of this enrolment (we can look after this part for you for free).
• genuinely intend to complete the relevant period of study in Australia
• have the required level of English language proficiency (unless exempt)
• have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the period of your intended stay in Australia (we can also assist with your OSHC)
• have access to sufficient funds to cover your return airfares, tuition fees and the cost of living in Australia, as well as costs required for any dependents included in your application

NOTE: The exact amount of funds a student requires is set by the Department of Home Affairs (the DOHA), and is determined by your chosen education provider, your course of study and other personal circumstances. Schedule a consultation for further details

The first step is to schedule a consultation with one of our Registered Migration Agents. They will assess your current situation and advise your eligibility.

In most cases, students will need to meet English language requirements to gain entry into their course and receive a student visa.

Students are exempt from providing evidence of English language proficiency with their visa application if they fall into one of the following categories:

• students who have completed at least five years of study in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa or the Republic of Ireland

• citizens and passport holders of the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland

• students who have successfully completed the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education or study at Certificate IV level or higher in Australia within two years of applying for a student visa

• students enrolled full time in school studies as a principal course (including secondary exchange programs), postgraduate research or a standalone ELICOS program

• Foreign Affairs or Defence sponsored students.

All other students will need to provide evidence of English language proficiency (in the form of a Confirmation of Enrolment or English language test scores).

You may be required to provide evidence that you have the funds to support yourself for the duration of your stay whilst living and studying in Australia.

If you need to provide financial capacity evidence, you must prove that you have genuine access to funds, as determined by the Department of Home Affairs.

​Single Applicant

• Ongoing Income of Parents or Non-Accompanying Partner or Spouse: $62,222 AUD or more; OR

• Deposit in a Financial Institution:

  • Cost of Living: $21,041

  • Cost of 12 months tuition fee less any amount already paid (tuition/total months of study x 12 months)

  • Cost of flights to your home country:

    • From inside Australia: $1,000 to $1,500

    • From outside Australia: $2,000 to $3,000

Additional Applicants

• Ongoing income of Parents: $72,592 AUD or more; OR

• Deposit in Financial Institution:

  • Same as above, PLUS

  • Cost of living for Partner/Spouse: $7,362 

  • Cost of living for each dependent Child: $3,152 

  • Cost of living for each school-age Child (over 6 years old): $8,296
    Cost of return flights/per applicant as above 

Examples of Evidence:

• Bank Statements, Term Deposits, Loans

• Tax Returns for Most Recent Tax Year

• Letter of Financial Support

• Evidence of Relationship between Applicant and Financial Sponsor

This information is to be used as a rough estimate only and the financial capacity requirements will vary depending on your individual circumstances. Our experienced Migration Agents can assist in determining your specific requirements.

It is a requirement for your Student visa that you demonstrate that you genuinely intend to remain temporarily in Australia with the primary focus of education yourself.

This should be demonstrated through a personal statement called a Genuine Temporary Entrant Statement.

Your Registered Migration Agent will assist with providing a strong GTE statement that covers all of the requirements.  

It is a condition of your Student visa that you must arrange OSHC for the full duration of your Student Visa. This must be paid in full before submitting the Application.

All Applicants included in your Student Visa must have OSHC.

Please note some students from Norway, Sweden, or Belgium may not be required to arrange OSHC.

We are partnered with Australia leading OSHC providers and we can assist you to ensure that the cover you purchase is correct.

You can include your spouse or de facto partner (including same-sex couples) in your Student visa application. 

Generally speaking, you will be required to provide evidence that your relationship is genuine and continuing, such as:

• Cohabitation Evidence – 12 months unless exempt

• Joint financial evidence

• Evidence that your relationship is exclusive and accepted socially

• Evidence of the commitment of your relationship

• Amongst other evidence

You can also include your children in your application

You may need to provide evidence such as:

• Birth certificate

• School enrolment in an Australian school for children over 6 years of age

• Form 1229: Consent to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years

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Some applicants may need to provide additional evidence to show that they are of good character and meet the health requirements. In some cases, the Department may contact you to provide evidence showing that you meet these requirements.

For example:

• you may be required to provide a Police Clearance if you have prior criminal convictions/offences

• you may be required to provide a Payment Plan if you have debts with the Australian government

• You may need to provide a health check if you have had or currently have certain health conditions

• you may need to provide a Military Discharge Letter if you have served in the military 

Depending on the severity of your character and/or health issues you may be required to provide an explanatory statement. Your Registered Migration Agent can assist with this. Please note additional fees may accrue for this service.

You will be required to pay the application charge prior to lodgement of the student visa application. The current student visa application charge is:

• Main Applicant – $630
• Secondary Applicant aged above 18 – $470
• Secondary Applicant(s) aged below 18 – $155

​Subsequent temporary application charge

The subsequent temporary application charge applies to student visas.

This charge is payable by each person in your application and is based on their individual visa history. The subsequent temporary application charge, if applicable, is payable in addition to any other visa charges that apply to your visa application at the time of lodgement.

This charge is for temporary visa holders who applied for their current temporary visa whilst inside Australia and apply for another temporary visa (a student visa) whilst located inside Australia.

This fee is $700 per applicant.