Step by Step Guide to apply for Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500 Visa)

Australia is one of the widely chosen destinations by international students to get their dream education abroad as it offers a high quality of education with an amazing learning environment.

Planning to study in Australia? Our expert student visa consultants at Global Job Assist will help you choose the right university, and the right course and guide you on the right path to a successful international career.

Read this guide to know about Australian universities, course fees, funds required, documents checklist, the application process, post-study work opportunities, student life in Australia etc.

What is an Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500 Visa)?

Subclass 500 Visa is a student visa that came into effect on July 1, 2016. It allows international students to stay in Australia for the duration of the student visa program, which is mostly up to 5 years from the date of enrollment.

This visa is for international students who wish to study in Australia for an extended period (more than 12 weeks).

Based on your age, duration of your stay, and kind of study program you need to apply for a certain subclass of visas.

Students who want to enrol for a full-time study course can apply for a Subclass 500 Visa.

Subclass 500 Visa (Australia Student visa) allows visa holders to:

1. Bring their dependents (family members) to the country.

2. Enrol in an eligible course of study.

3. Work for up to 20 hours/week.

4. Travel to and from the country.

5. After their duration of stay of 5 years, they can apply for an extension.

Processing time for Australia student Visa:

It takes around 4-5 weeks for your visa to be processed.

When to apply for the visa:

You can apply for the visa 124 days before the commencement of your course.

When to travel after getting the visa:

You can travel to the country 90 days before the start of your course.

Why study in Australia?

1. Quality of education

2. Financial support from the government (Scholarships)

3. Wide variety of courses to choose

4. Post-study work opportunities

Important Things to know before you apply for an Australia Student Visa?

For a smooth Australian student visa application process, below are some of the things you need to focus on:

1. Do your research about the universities and courses before applying. 

2. Get a Valid passport and check the validity period of your passport

3. Start preparing for the English Language Proficiency tests like IELTS, and PTE at least 1 year before to achieve a good score. 

4. Get the necessary documents like (transcripts, SOP, LORs etc).

5. Apply for the visa at least 6 months before the commencement of the course.

6. You can apply for the visa through ImmiAccount

7. The application fee for subclass 500 is around 630 AUD (Australian dollars)

8. Proof of funds for a single student is around 62,222 AUD

Australia Student Visa Application Process

Step 1: Before submitting your application, you must gather all the required documents.

Below is the list of documents required for an Australian student visa

• • Proof of identity: A valid passport

  • Proof of eCOE (your electronic confirmation of enrollment in an approved Australian university or college ) document.

  • Receipt of Visa application fee paid

  • GTE (Genuine temporary entrant) statement

  • Academic documents (10th, Inter, degree, bachelor etc).

  • Work Experience documents (if any)

  • IELTs/PTE test results

  • Proof of financial ability(bank statements, assets etc)

  • Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) - the health insurance policy

  • SOPs (statement of purpose)

  • Passport size photographs

Note: students who are under 18 years must provide some additional documents like parental consent. These are basic documents to know the detailed list of documents then speak with our consultant.

Step 2: Apply online for the Australia student visa by:

1. 1. Creating an account on ImmiAccount

   2. Attach required documents

   3. Pay the mentioned application fee

   4. You can pay your Australian student visa fee via Debit Mastercard, Debit Visa card, prepaid credit card, American Express, BPAY and PayPal.

Step 3: After you apply you must complete the following through ImmiAccount.

1. 1.  Provide Biometrics

   2. Take health examination

   3. Provide additional documents or information required.

Step 4: Final Student visa status or outcome:

The status of your visa application will be sent to you in writing. If your student visa is approved you will get the acceptance letter with the visa grant number, visa expiry date and student visa conditions.

Australia Student (subclass 500) Visa Eligibility requirements:

International students must fulfil the following eligibility requirements to successfully get a student visa.

• You need to enrol in a registered course full-time to be eligible for a subclass 500 visa.

• The maximum validity of an Australian student visa is 5 years.

• The course that you are willing to take must be listed on CRICOS (commonwealth register of institutions and courses for overseas students)

• You can apply for an Australian student Visa only after receiving eCOE (electronic confirmation of enrollment). COE is an electronic official document issued by the university to which you have applied. It acts as evidence to the Australian Government department of Home Affairs that you have enrolled at the university and have been accepted by the university.

• You will receive COE from the university only when you meet the conditions of the offer, paid your tuition fee deposit and OSHC (overseas student health cover) premium

• You will CoE through email and CoE contains information about you, the program you are studying, the estimated cost and the duration of your study.

• You need to provide certified copies of academic transcripts/documents

• 4 recent passport-size photographs

• You need to pay your Overseas Student Health Cover premium. It offers basic medical and hospital coverage. This health insurance is approved by the Australian government and you can get it through your university.

• Non-native English speakers must provide English language exam test results like (IELTS, PTE, and TOEFL) 

• Proofs of financial resources like savings, bank statements, assets etc.

• GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrance) Statement is a personal written statement in English in the Australia visa application form. This statement by you must conclude that you want to come to Australia only to study and not to live. This statement should be 300 words in total (with 2000 character limit).

• You must provide a certificate of conduct to prove that you have no criminal history.

• Proof of visa fees paid.

• Health examination test includes some physical examination tests like X-ray chest, urine and blood tests to check your standard of health. These tests are conducted only at approved health test centres by the Government.

Post-Study Work Visa options in Australia for international students - 

Post Study Work Visa is for foreign students to live, work and look for a suitable job in Australia after completing their studies in Australia. Based on your qualification and the region in which you have completed your study, the duration of your stay is decided on a post-study work visa. Duration varies from 18 months to a maximum of 6 years.

There are 3 types of post-study work options:

• Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) - post-study work stream 

This visa is for recently graduated foreign students from an Australian education institution (regardless of the field of study). Students must apply for this visa within 6 months of completing their course. Based on the student's qualification the stay duration will be between 2 - 4 years.

The duration of stay for International students with different educational qualifications on Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) Visa under the post-study work stream category is listed below:

• Bachelor's Degree with Honours, Bachelor's Degree, Masters by Coursework – 2 years

• Master by Research Degree – 3 years

• Doctoral Degree – 4 years

2.  Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) - Graduate work stream 

This visa is for recently graduated foreign students with skills and qualifications closely related to an occupation specified in the skilled occupation list (SOL) and need in the Australian labour market. The duration of stay is up to 18 months.

3.  Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa (Subclass 476) 

This visa is for foreign students with engineering qualifications from a specified Australian Institution. The duration of stay is eighteen (18) months.

Upcoming Intakes to study in Australia 2023:

Australia allows international students to apply for admission to their chosen universities in February intake and July intake. Some universities also accept applications in September or November intake with limited course options.

Cost of studying in Australia for Indian students:

The total cost of education in Australia for Indian students depends on various factors like the level of education you want to pursue, location, your habits and lifestyle etc.

Australia student visa (SubClass 500) Application fee:

The basic application fee is 620 AUD (34093 INR).

Note: You need additional application fees if you have dependents.

Average Tuition fee cost for Indian students:

Below are the tuition fee costs for international students according to the government's official site.

• For International Undergraduate Students – 15,000 AUD (823815 INR) to 33,000 AUD (1812393 INR)

• For International Postgraduate Students (Masters Degree) – 20,000 AUD (1098420 INR) to 37,000 AUD (2032077 INR)

• For Doctoral Degree – 14,000 AUD (768894 INR) to 37,000 AUD (2032077 INR).

Living Costs in Australia for Indian students:

The average living cost for Indian students in Australia is between 30,000 AUD (16, 47630 INR) to 34,000.AUD (18, 67314 INR) per year. These costs include accommodation, food/groceries, public transport, utilities cost etc.

Latest Australia Student Visa News 2023

Because of the labour shortage during COVID-19, the Australian Government allowed international students to work as much as they can, relaxing the 40 hours work/per week rule.

Now, from July 1, Work restrictions are re-introduced again for international student visa holders who are allowed to work only at the increased rate of 48 hrs per fortnight.

Apart from this, It also announced a 2-year extension of post-study work rights for foreign students who are pursuing a course and degree that is in shortage of skill list.