Apply For Student Visa Subclass 500 To Get A Chance To Study In Australia

The Student Visa 500 is the most common Australian student visa granted to international students who want to enrol in an Australian institute and study their desired course. 

Australia is highly popular as a destination for overseas students because of its top-quality academic infrastructure, dynamic education environment, and attractive job opportunities. This blog gives a detailed account of what you should do to submit a complete application and get your visa without any difficulty.

Know the eligibility requirements

Before proceeding with your application, you have first to know the Visa Subclass 500 eligibility criteria. 

Age restrictions

Are you a school student but not coming to Australia as a part of the Secondary School Student Exchange Program? If so, your age should not be less than 6 years. Your age should be:

• Under 17 years at the time of beginning Year 9
• Under 18 years at the time of beginning Year 10
• Under 19 years at the time of beginning Year 11
• Under 20 years at the time of beginning Year 12

Enrolment confirmation

You should be enrolled in a full-time course at an Australian institute. Full-time courses refer to those study programs that are more than 3 months long. Make sure both the course and the institute are registered with the CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students). 

Welfare arrangements for applicants under 18 years

If your age is under 18 years at the time of application, you should make adequate welfare arrangements. One of the necessary arrangements is having a legal guardian who can be your parent or a relative who must be at least 21 years of age.

Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement

You have to prove that you are coming to Australia for only study reasons and will not use this visa to stay here permanently. In your statement, you have to include why you choose Australia despite having options of a similar course in the home country, the situation in your country of residence or home country, prospects of this course, etc.

English language requirement

Australia is an English-speaking country. So, you must prove that you have sufficient English language proficiency. To prove it, you have to submit the results of an internationally accepted English language test like TOEFL or IELTS. Here you should note that the required score may vary from course to course or institute to institute. So, before you submit your application, check their websites.

You will not be required to submit this document if you fall into the exemption category. Students from English-speaking countries like the UK, the USA, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand fall into this category.

Health insurance requirement

During the entire period in Australia, you and your family members must have adequate health insurance cover. Generally, students with the Student Visa Subclass 500 need to have the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). 

If you have applied from outside of Australia, you and your family members should have this insurance from when you arrive in Australia. For help, you can contact your education provider. There are some exceptions, however. 

For example, suppose you are a Norwegian student with the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. In that case, a Belgian student having the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia, or a Swedish student having the Kammarkollegiet, you will not require the OSHC.

Visa requirement while applying from inside Australia

If you want to make your application while physically present in Australia, you must hold an eligible visa. You can also apply if your previous Student Visa, a dependent Diplomatic (Temporary) visa or Special Purpose Visa has expired 28 days before. 

Financial capacity

You should have enough financial capacity to cover all the costs during your stay period. These costs include tuition fees, accommodation costs, travel costs, and return airfare.

Health and character requirements

Meeting health and character requirements are a must for every applicant whose age is over 16. Right now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, extra time is given for health examinations.

Other requirements

Other essential requirements include:

• Having no outstanding debts to the Government of Australia.
• No record of visa refusal.
• Signing the Australian values statement. 

You can also add your partner and children to the application, and they have to submit relevant documents. All applicants have to remain complied with the Student Visa Subclass 500 conditions.

How To Apply For This Visa?

The Visa 500 application involves the following steps. You have to start the preparations in advance so that you can make it smoothly and successfully.

Step 1: Before you apply

If you want to make an offshore application, you should start it at least 6 weeks before the course begins. For an onshore application also, you should allow plenty of time to make the application to avoid waiting till the last date of your current Australian visa. Last-time rush should always be avoided.

Step 2: Gather your documents

The second step is the most vital as here you have to gather all the documents according to the Student Visa 500 checklist. To see what documents you need to upload, you have to check the updated Document Checklist Tool on the website of the Immigration Department. Documents will include:

• Identity documents, including passport and a national id card,
• Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), acceptance letter, as evidence of your enrolment
• Financial evidence
• OSHC documents
• Results of English language test
• Genuine Temporary Entrant Documents
• Partner documents
• Documents for dependent children included in the application

Step 3: Apply for the visa

You can apply for the visa online. Both offshore and onshore applications are allowed.

Step 4: Things to do after you apply

After you have submitted your application, the Department of Home Affairs will let you know. However, you will not receive any progress update. In the waiting period, you have to submit health examination reports and biometrics information.

Step 5: Visa decision

If the Department approves your visa, it will send you an email containing the visa grant date, visa grant number, and visa conditions. While living in Australia, you should always keep a copy of the decision. 

The Department will also let you know if it refuses your application. In that email, you will learn about the reasons behind the rejection and whether you can review the decision.

What are the visa application costs and processing time?

The current visa application fee for the primary applicant is AUD 630. If your visa application gets rejected, you cannot get any refund. So, to make your application successful, you should hire a registered migration agent from Adelaide.

What can you do with this visa?

This visa allows a holder to do the following things.

• You can enrol in an eligible study course.
• You can bring your family to Australia.
• After your course starts, you can work for a maximum of 20 hours every week. Working for some extra hours is allowed in specific sectors.
• You can travel abroad and come back to Australia as long as the visa remains valid.

Final words

Many top-rated migration firms can assign you an experienced immigration agent Adelaide. A migration professional is the best person to give you the most helpful advice regarding your application.