Student Visas For Australia
Checklist for applying for a student visa for Australia
You will need to apply and be accepted by an Australian university before you can apply for your student visa.
Once you have your acceptance letter, here's what you will need:
- The code from your Confirmation of Enrolment (COE). You will receive this via email and/or in the mail from the Australian university once you have enrolled.
- A certified copy of your Letter of Acceptance from the Australian university. The letter should detail your plan of study (ie courses, credit points, names of subjects, hours per week). Again, you will receive this via email and/or in the mail from the Australian university. If you don't have this you can also provide a certified copy of your COE.
- A certified copy of your Letter of Acceptance into the Study Abroad Program. You will receive this from your home institution (eg UCLA, UBC, Cambridge etc).
- A certified copy of your Receipt for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). You will receive this when you organise your health insurance for Australia. However, students from Norway do not need OSHC, nor do students from Sweden on the CSN scheme.
- Your passport. This should have at least six months validity left on it.
- Two passport photos. Officials love passport photos! Don't let our Aussie officials down!
- The college student visa fee. This is $430 AUD. If you want to work while you study in Australia, you'll need to add an extra $60 AUD, making it $490 AUD in total. You will be able to work legally in Australia for up to 20 hours per week during semesters and exam periods, and full time on semester breaks.
Financial Entry Requirements
You will also need to demonstrate that you have a certain amount of financial independence. The financial requirements of a study abroad visa for Australia are:
- A return air ticket to Australia. You cannot buy a one-way ticket and say you will buy the outbound ticket later.
- You need to show that you have either paid your university tuition fees or that you have the money to do so.
- On top of the money for the university tuition, you need to be able to show Customs officials that you have $1,000 AUD for each month that you will be in Australia. For example, if you are coming to Australia for six months, you will need to show that you have $6,000 AUD in your bank account.
Next Steps
You can apply online at the website of the Immigration Department (immi.gov.au). You will need to already be enrolled in a university in Australia before you begin. Keep in mind that you need to be a full-time student (not part-time) in order to receive your study abroad student visa for Australia.