International students study in Australia on a Student visa (subclass 500). One visa covers your whole course — including a packaged English course or pathway programme — and your partner and children can be included on the same application. What it cannot do is come first: you need an offer and a Confirmation of Enrolment before you can lodge anything.
The order of operations
- Get a Letter of Offer from a CRICOS-registered provider.
- Accept it and pay the first fee instalment.
- Receive your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). This is the document the visa application is built around.
- Buy OSHC covering the entire visa period.
- Lodge online through ImmiAccount with your CoE, OSHC, English evidence, financial evidence and Genuine Student responses.
- Complete health examinations and biometrics if you are asked for them.
Skipping ahead is the single most common source of delay. There is no way to lodge without a CoE.
The Genuine Student requirement
In March 2024 the old Genuine Temporary Entrant test was replaced by the Genuine Student (GS) requirement. Instead of writing a free-form statement, you answer targeted written questions covering:
- your current circumstances — family, community ties, employment and financial position
- why you chose this course and this provider
- what the qualification does for you afterwards
- your study history, including any previous study in Australia
Generic, templated or agent-written answers are one of the most common reasons a decision goes badly. Write specifically about your own situation, in your own words, and make sure the answers are consistent with your funding evidence and your academic record. A case officer reading a modest family income alongside an unexplained large deposit will notice.
Overseas Student Health Cover
OSHC is a condition of the visa, not an optional extra, and it must cover the whole visa period — not just the length of your course. The visa usually runs a few months past your course end date, and the policy has to cover that too.
Only five insurers are approved by the Australian Government to issue OSHC: Bupa, Medibank, Allianz Care Australia, nib and ahm. A policy from anyone else is not OSHC, however it is marketed. Travel insurance will not do. Full detail is in our OSHC guide.
Financial capacity
You must evidence funds for tuition, travel and twelve months of living costs. The twelve-month living-costs figure was raised to A$29,710 on 10 May 2024 and is indexed periodically, so check the current amount on the Home Affairs site rather than trusting any figure you read elsewhere — including this one. The amount increases for an accompanying partner and for each dependent child.
The money does not have to be yours: funds held by a parent, spouse or other close relative are accepted where you can evidence the relationship and their genuine ability to support you. An approved education loan, a government loan scheme, or a scholarship letter also count. Our financial requirements guide covers what case officers actually look for.
Costs and timelines
The visa application charge is set by the Department of Home Affairs and has risen substantially in recent years, with additional charges for each family member. We deliberately do not quote a figure here, because a stale number in a guide is worse than no number — check the current amount on the Home Affairs site.
Processing times vary widely by country, by provider and by the evidence level applied to your application. Lodge as soon as you have your CoE and OSHC; a visa that arrives after the census date usually means deferring to the next intake.
Working while you study
Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, unrestricted during scheduled breaks. Postgraduate research students have unrestricted work rights once the course commences.
Get a Tax File Number when you arrive — without one, tax is withheld at the highest rate. Minimum-wage and workplace protections apply to you in full, and underpayment of international students is a well-documented problem in Australia, so know what you are entitled to.
Conditions you must keep
- Maintain enrolment and satisfactory academic progress
- Maintain OSHC for the whole visa period — a lapse breaches a condition
- Tell your provider your residential address within seven days of arriving, and any later change
If you get into academic or financial difficulty, raise it with your provider's international office early. There are formal processes for extensions and intermission; quietly dropping out is what turns a problem into a visa cancellation.
After graduation
Eligible graduates can apply for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). Eligibility, stream and duration depend on your qualification level, field, age and study location, and these settings have changed repeatedly — check the current rules before relying on them.
This guide is general information, not immigration or financial advice. Visa charges, financial thresholds and graduate visa settings change without much notice. In Australia only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner may give immigration assistance. Always confirm current fees, intakes and visa settings with the provider and at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you act.