Complete Guide February 2024: Student Visa Subclass 500 for Australia

About Student visa 500

The Student visa (subclass 500) allows you to remain in Australia for up to 5 years for the purpose of full-time study at an educational institution, in line with your enrolment. With this visa you can: take part in an eligible course of study.

What this Australian Student visa lets you do?

You can enroll in an acceptable course of study.

Include family members (such as your partner or you and your partner's dependent child) in your application.

Apply online in Australia or from elsewhere.

The student visa 500 allows you to work up to 48 hours fortnightly when your course is in session. You can work unlimited when you are in school holiday. You would be allowed to start your part-time work once the course starts.

The application process for this visa can occasionally be complicated, so if you want to increase your chances of success, click here to schedule a free consultation with without our multilingual agents.

Who can apply:-

Students enrolled in any course in Australia that is listed on the CRICOS registry are eligible to apply for the Student Visa Subclass 500, which allows them to stay in Australia while they are enrolled in the program.

International students can apply for the Visa 500 to enroll in any full-time program of their choice, as long as it complies with Australian visa requirements.

Steps to apply for a student visa in Australia:-

Step 1 – Letter of Offer

Step 2 – Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

Step 3 – Proof of English proficiency

Step 4 – Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement

Step 5 – Proof of sufficient funds

Step 6 – Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

Step 7 – Health requirement

Step 8 – Character requirement

Step 9 – Apply using ImmiAccount

Step 10 – Check travel requirements

An ImmiAccount is required to submit an online visa application. Create an account if you don't already have one, then begin the application process. Fill out the student visa application form after creating an ImmiAccount.

Documents Required for Student Australia Visa

The following documents must be submitted with your visa application for Australia:

• Original Passports with 6 Months Validity from the date of travel
• Visa Application Form
• 2 Photographs according to photo specifications
• Covering letter mentioning details of applicants
• Pan Card or Aadhaar Card Copy
• Income Tax / Form 16 for the last 3 years
• Original Bank statements for the last 6 months with sufficient balance
• Salary slips for the last 3 months – if employed
• Original Leave approval letter from company-on-company letterhead (If employed)
• Company registration proof e.g., Shop ACT, MOA, etc. – (If self-employed)
• If you are a Student – A bonafide letter / ID card and NOC letter from School/College.
• If Retired – Retirement Proof.
• Other Financial Documents like Fixed Deposits, PPF, NSC, Property Papers etc.
• Hotel Bookings, Air Tickets / Itinerary
• Children under 18 must provide a notarized ‘no objection certificate’ from any non-accompanying parent authorizing their travel to Australia along with copies of the parent’s passports.
• Applicants over 75 years of age and any applicant requesting a stay of 12 months must provide evidence of Overseas Health Insurance.

Apply for the Subclass 500:-

You will need to enrol in a course at an Australian education or training provider first and then apply for a student visa after you have been issued a confirmation of enrolment (CoE) from the provider. For more information on applying for courses, visit the how to apply to study page. The processing time for a subclass 500 student visa(the most common type of student visa in Australia) is typically between 4 to 6 weeks.

Please obtain an application form from the provider’s website using the Course Search Feature if you want to apply directly to an Australian educational institution. Documents attesting to your prior education, including any credentials you may already own.

Documents Required for Student Visa Subclass 500

• Passport: Original Passport with validity of minimum six months, attached old passport if any.
• Family Form: Form M-54 to be duly filled and signed by the applicant.
• Photo Specification: Two recent passport size photographs with matt or semi matt finish, 60%-80% face coverage, white background and without border (Size: 35mm x 45mm) but the photograph should not be more than 3 months old, scanned/stapled and should not be used in any of the previous visas.
• Covering Letter: Covering-Letter from applicant on business / official letter head mentioning name, designation, passport number, purpose, and duration of visit in brief. The letter should be duly signed by authorized signatory with company stamp and addressed to- The Visa Officer, Australian High Commission, New Delhi.
• Invitation letter from Australian Host along with inviter’s passport copy & residence proof etc. in case of family visit OR Hotel Bookings and day wise tour itinerary in case of Tourism. * Aadhaar card clear copy.
• Marriage certificate copy if spouse name is not endorsed and applying visa post marriage.
• Applicant’s financials:
  • Personal ITR for last 3yrs OR Form 16 along with PAN card copy (As applicable)
  • Personal Bank statement & salary bank statements for last six months mentioning the Bank’s name, Bank’s Telephone Number should be mentioned on it clearly.
  • Occupation related papers like business ownership in the name of applicant along with financial papers such as 2 years ITR and 03 months bank account statements if self-employed.
  • If working, please provide latest 3 months’ Salary slips along with salary bank account statements of last 06 months & leave sanction OR NOC from employer if employed.
• Birth certificate and School/College ID card copies are required for children Travel / Tour Confirmation Papers – Air Tickets, Internal Ticket, Hotel Confirmation & Travel Insurance.
• Covid vaccination certificate both dose.

Student Visa Fee

The overall money required to obtain a study visa for Australia includes: The application fee is around 710 AUD for subclass 500. The funds required as proof for a single student are $24505 (annual living costs + 12 months tuition fees + travel ticket) or 72,465 annual income.

Eligibility of Visa Subclass 500

To avail admission into any course registered in CRICOS and enjoy the facilities of the Visa Subclass 500 to study while staying in Australia, the international students will have to abide by some rules and regulation. Without the fulfillment of the said rules, the foreign candidates may not be permitted to enroll themselves into a curriculum. The different Student Visa 500 Eligibility rules are:

Age-Restriction:

The age of the applicant must be 6 or more if he or she is applying as a school student under this visa. This visa does not apply for students enrolling under the secondary school student exchange program. For later classes, the following rules have to be followed:

• At the ninth year, the applicant must be less than 17 years.
• When starting Year 10, the age must be below 18.
• Must be less than 19 at the beginning of Year 11
• Age not more than 20 when starting Year 12.

Proof Of Enrolment:

Evidence of the enrolment into any course study is mandatory for. application of the visa. Without a Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE) letter, the visa will be held invalid and also will not be processed further.

Multiple Courses:

The student is permitted to apply for more than one course, but he or she should provide a (CoE) or Confirmation of Enrollment for each of them. They will also have to mention it in their visa application; otherwise, the visa will be issued only for the mentioned course.

Welfare Arrangements:

The students will have to make proper welfare arrangements if he or she is below 18 years.

Meet Requirements For The English Language:

Evidence of skill in the English language has to be provided for applying in the student visa. The test scores of some department-approved exams may serve as such proof.

Health Insurance:

The student and their family must hold proper and adequate health insurance from an approved Australian insurance company during the total period of their stay.

Financial Proof:

The student must provide evidence of the proper financial arrangements to take care of the stay in Australia.

Temporary Entran:

The visa rules stipulate that the applicant must return to his motherland after the end of their course.

Character Requirement:

The students and their family members above 18 years must satisfy the health and character requirement.

No Previous Cancellation Or Refusa:

The student must not have any previous cancellation and refusal case with the department.

The Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement, long associated with student visas, has undergone a transformation. The GTE requirement aimed to identify applicants who intended to use the student visa program for purposes other than genuine education. However, this requirement has been replaced by the Genuine Student Test (GST).

Student Visa Checklist

The documents required to be submitted with an Australian student visa application depends on the assessment level of the application, which is based on country of passport of the student, and the chosen institution for study.

When you apply online for an Australia visa, the documents you attach must follow specific rules:

Scan each document carefully on both sides. Scanned copies have to be in color if the original is also in color.

Attach files up to 5MB in size with the following extensions:

DCM, DOC, DOCX, DOT, GIF, JPG, PNG, PDF, PPT, PPTX, TXT, RTF, XLS, XLSX, BMP

Documents containing more than one page, have to be in a single PDF file.

The limit for uploading documents can be from 30 to 60 depending on the application.

Images have to be sized up to 500Kb.

Images have to be scanned on both sides.

Compressed and encrypted files will not be accepted.

Application Documents Guidelines

Your family certificates, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, adoption papers, etc., must be certified copies of the originals when you submit a paper application for an Australia visa.

Verify the Documents

Firstly, make copies of your documents. Then take both versions to a person who can verify your documents (see below).

The person who verifies your documents has to write or stamp to your documents the following statement: “This is a certified true copy of the original as sighted by me”.

If there is more than one page then the certifier can write the statement on the first page and their initials on every page. Your verifier has to provide their, Full Name and Signature

"This is a certified true copy of the original as sighted by me," must be written or stamped on your documents by the person who verifies them.

If there are multiple pages, the certifier can initial each page and write the statement on the first page. Your verifying party must offer them:

• Complete name
• Signature
• Occupation
• Telephone
• The verification date
• Your Address (not obligatory)
• Phone Number
• The Date of Verification
• Their Address (not obligatory)

Your photos should also be confirmed, with the certifier's signature and the words "This is a true photograph of (insert your full name)" written or stamped on the reverse of each image.

Who Verify the Documents:-

Either an Australian citizen or a citizen from your home country must verify your documentation. They must not be in a personal or family relationship with you and must work in one of the following fields:

Australian consular officer or Australian diplomatic officer (check if this service is available at your nearest Australian embassy or consulate)

Bailiff

Bank officer with 5 or more years of continuous service

Building society officer with 5 or more years of continuous service

Chiropractor (licensed or registered)

Clerk of court

Commissioner for affidavits

Commissioner for declarations

Credit union officer with 5 or more years of continuous service

Dentist (licensed or registered)

Fellow of the National Tax Accountant’s Association

Finance company officer with 5 or more years of continuous service

Judge of a court

Justice of the peace

Legal practitioner (licensed or registered)

Magistrate

marriage celebrant licensed or registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961

Master of a court

Medical practitioner (licensed or registered)

Member of Chartered Secretaries Australia

Member of Engineers Australia, other than at the grade of the student

Member of the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants

Member of the Australian Defence Force with 5 or more years of continuous service

Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants or the Institute of Public Accountants

Member of the Parliament of the Commonwealth, a State, a Territory Legislature, or a local government authority of a State or Territory

Minister of religion licensed or registered under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961

Nurse (licensed or registered)

Optometrist (licensed or registered)

Permanent employee of Australian, state or local government authority with at least 5 or more years of continuous service.

Permanent employee of the Australian Postal Corporation with 5 or more years of continuous service

Pharmacist (licensed or registered)

Physiotherapist (licensed or registered)

Police officer

Psychologist (licensed or registered)

Registrar or deputy registrar of a court

Sheriff

A teacher employed on a full-time basis at a school or tertiary education institution, or

Veterinary surgeon (licensed or registered).

Student Visa Processing Time

There is no standard processing time for an Indian student visa, but most students will receive a decision within two weeks of submitting their application.

Although visas can be processed quickly, it’s well worth starting your visa application as soon as you’ve received your acceptance letter.

Any problems or delays with your application could mean you don’t get your visa in time. Don’t scupper your plans by leaving your visa application until the last minute.

Get your visa application right the first time:- There are things you can do to make sure that when you submit your visa application it is ‘decision ready’. This will help us process your application faster.

When preparing your application for a visa to Australia, remember to provide all the required information and documents. Allow plenty of time to collect the necessary documents and information. It can take longer than you expect to get copies of official documents such as birth and marriage certificates, police checks, medical reports, and translations of documents.

Double-check you have included everything and that all information is correct before you submit your application.

Make sure your name is spelled as it appears in your passport, including your middle name, and that it has not been auto-corrected by your device.

Check you have entered your date of birth in dd/mm/yyyy format.

Submit your application well ahead of when you want to travel. We suggest you book your flight after your visa has been granted.

Last Updated: 27 February 2024

Student 500 visa required for all applicants to be included in the application:

• Identity documents such as passport, birth certificate, proof of name change such as marriage or divorce certificate.
• If you are or have been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated, provide proof such as marriage certificates, divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations.
• Provide an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16, any military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country.
• Passport size photographs.
• All applicants must provide Overseas Student Health Cover.
• Medical examinations.
• For an applicant is under 18, copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents; or adoption papers (if applicable).

Australia Visa Checklist for primary applicant:

• All academic certificates and transcripts.
• Employment reference letters.
• English test results such as IELTS or PTE Academic or TOEFL.
• Any professional registration or license certificate.
• Your curriculum vitae or resume that includes your full employment and educational history, including dates and positions held within the last ten years.

Student Visa financial evidence:

• The applicant or their sponsor will need to show to the 'Department of Home Affairs' to show Financial evidence of:
• 1 year of tuition fees of their intended course
• 32,101.10 AUD for living expenses
• 11,231.80 AUD for spouse (if included in application)
• 4,808.47 AUD each for dependent (if included in application)
• 12,655.13 AUD for each school aged dependent; or primary applicant's parent, spouse or de facto partner has a personal annual income that is at least 72,592 AUD
• All documents for student visa application checklist are to be colour PDF files. Where documents are not in English, an authorised translated version needs to be provided.

The living costs and expenses for the primary applicant:

• (A) if the primary applicant intends to stay in Australia for a period of 12 months or more—AUD24,505 (primary applicant annual living costs); and
• (B) if the primary applicant intends to stay in Australia for a period of less than 12 months—the pro rata equivalent of primary applicant annual living costs

Or in terms of secondary applicants, each secondary applicant who intends to stay in Australia for a period of 12 months or more—the following costs (secondary applicant annual living costs):

• (A) for a spouse or de facto partner— AUD8,574;
• (B) for a dependent child— AUD3,670;

FAQs