Student Visa
The student visa (subclass 500) is often the first visa for most people who come to Australia. It allows you to study full-time with an approved education provider and begin building your life here. For many students, the student visa is also the first step in a longer plan — because choosing the right course can significantly lower the difficulty of your migration journey later on. A smart course choice is not only about reaching the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) after graduation, but also about setting yourself up with the right qualification and occupation outcome, which can support future steps like skills assessment, gaining relevant work experience, and exploring state nomination or employer-sponsored pathways. That’s why the student visa is the foundation of your Australian journey — and why selecting the right course from the beginning plays an extremely important role in what you can do next.
Country evidence level system
Australia uses a country evidence level system under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) to decide how much supporting evidence you may need to provide with a Student visa (subclass 500) application. Under this risk-based framework, each country/region and each registered education provider is given an immigration risk rating based on student visa outcomes, and your document requirements are guided by the combination of your country of citizenship and your chosen provider. In general, lower-risk combinations may have more “streamlined” evidentiary requirements (for example, you may not be asked to upload financial or English evidence at lodgment), while higher-risk combinations usually require stronger documents upfront—however, the Department can still request these documents in any case if needed.
Eligibility:
- Be enrolled in a CRICOS-registered course and have a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
- Meet the Genuine Student (GS) requirement
- Have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your whole stay (and for any dependents)
- Show financial capacity to cover tuition fees, living costs, and travel (and school costs for school-age children if included)
- Meet English language requirements (or qualify for an exemption)
- Meet the health requirement (medical checks if required)
- Meet the character requirement (police checks if required)
- If under 18 provide parental consent and approved welfare/guardian arrangements
Feeling overwhelmed? We’re here to help.
Our expert team will be at your side at every stage of your partner visa journey, from
understanding eligibility requirements and gathering evidence to submitting your application.
FAQs
Yes, you can apply for another Student visa (subclass 500) to continue your studies — that is generally possible.
English requirement: Because Kenya is not an exempt/low-risk English country, you will usually need to provide English evidence. If you completed an accepted English test and it is still valid (typically within the last 2 years), you may be able to use the same results again. In some cases, English may also be waived if you have completed a substantial component of your studies in Australia — commonly assessed as around 50% of the course completed
Risks: One key student visa expectation is that you maintain satisfactory course progress and attendance. If you are applying for a further visa because you did not complete your course within the original period, it is important to provide a clear and reasonable explanation for the delay, supported by evidence. It is strongly recommended to include your academic transcript (showing what units you have completed) and a letter from your education provider confirming your enrolment, attendance, and ongoing intention to complete the course, to help demonstrate that you are a genuine student.
Yes, the course duration matters a lot. It not only affects how long your Student visa (subclass 500) may be granted, but can also impact whether you eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) later on. In general, for the 485 visa you must complete an eligible course that is at least 92 weeks (CRICOS-registered duration). We strongly recommend checking the CRICOS course duration before enrolling. You can usually find the CRICOS code and registered duration on the education provider’s website on the course information page.
Yes, you can apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) – Subsequent Entrant to bring your partner to Australia. However, there are a few important points to consider.
First, if your relationship already existed before you applied for your current student visa, you should have declared your partner in that visa application. If you did declare the relationship, you will mainly need to provide evidence to show the relationship is genuine and ongoing. If you did not declare it, the Department may question why the information was not provided earlier and may view this as inconsistent or misleading. Consistency across your visa history is very important, and in serious cases it can create risks for both the new application and your existing visa.
Second, for a subsequent entrant application, you must provide financial evidence again. You need to show you have enough funds to cover the costs for both you and your partner, including tuition fees, living expenses, and travel costs (and any additional costs for dependants, if applicable).
Student visa work limits are controlled by condition 8105. Normally, student visa holders cannot work more than 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session, unless an exemption applies.
You can work full while when your course is out of session
Under policy, a course is considered “in session” when:
- it is within the advertised semester period (including exam periods); or
- you are studying another course during a break and the study counts towards (is credited to) your main course.
A course is considered “out of session” when:
- you are on a scheduled course break (school holidays);
- your course has been deferred or suspended in line with Standard 9 of the National Code;
- you have completed your course as scheduled (based on the dates on your CoE) and you still hold a valid Student visa — you may work unlimited hours until the visa expires; or
- your enrolment was cancelled due to provider default, until you secure a new enrolment and commence the course.
To write the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, keep it one clear paragraph that answers: why this course, why Australia, why this provider, and how it links to your future career. Explain briefly what research you have done (course units, CRICOS details, campus, fees, study support), and confirm you understand the costs and will maintain satisfactory attendance and progress. Your GS response should show your main purpose is genuine study, with a realistic study plan and career outcome after graduation, rather than using the student visa for other reasons.
The case officer will consider your GS response as a critical part of deciding whether you are a genuine student and whether your intention to stay in Australia is temporary. In the past, this assessment was called GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant), which focused on whether you genuinely planned to come to Australia mainly for study and leave when your studies finished. Although GTE has now been replaced by the GS requirement, the core idea is similar — you must show your course choice makes sense, your study plan is genuine and realistic, and your overall circumstances support that you are coming to Australia for education rather than using the student visa for another purpose.
It depends on how long ago your Student visa expired, so act quickly. If it has been less than 28 days, you may still be able to lodge a valid onshore student visa application (if you meet the requirements), but you must provide a clear and reasonable explanation for the overstay and show you are taking steps to fix the situation immediately. If you apply after your substantive visa has expired, you will usually be granted a Bridging visa C (BVC) (not a Bridging visa A). A BVC generally does not allow travel, and you cannot apply for a Bridging visa B (BVB) to leave and re-enter Australia. A BVC also often comes with no work rights. In general, we do not recommend applying for work rights under this circumstances, because when you applied for the Student visa you declared that you had sufficient funds to support yourself to complete your studies in Australia.
Please also note that this type of “late application after visa expiry” option is generally only available once. If you become unlawful again in the future because you forget your visa expiry date, you may not be able to lodge another valid Student visa application onshore — even if it is within 28 days.
Yes, you can change your course or education provider after your Student visa is granted. However, if you want to change to a different education provider, you generally need to have completed at least 6 months of study from your principal course CoE start date before you can transfer or you receive a release letter from the education provider
Book Now
Book Your Consultation
