Student visa (Subclass 500)

If you’re a school student (but not participating in a secondary school student exchange program), you will need to be aged 6 or older to apply for this visa.

You will also need to be:

• less than 17 years old when you begin Year 9
• less than 18 years old when you begin Year 10
• less than 19 years old when you begin Year 11 
• less than 20 years old when you begin Year 12 

It’s important to be enroled on a course and to be able to show this in the application process. This is to make sure your application is valid and can be processed fully.

A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) is an electronic document that is issued to an international student by a University (or another registered educational provider) to enrol and study with them.

Don’t forget, that you’ll need to be enroled on a full-time course registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

• If you’re applying outside of Australia, you’ll need to provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for each course of study with your visa application.
• If you’re applying inside of Australia, you’ll need to provide a CoE or Letter of Offer for all intended courses. You must provide your CoE before your visa is granted.

If you’re already in Australia, make sure you hold an eligible Substantive visa. Please note, a Bridging visa is something different, and is not the same as a Substantive visa.

If you don’t currently have an eligible Substantive visa, can apply within 28 days of:

• holding a Student visa, a Special Purpose visa, or a dependent Diplomatic (temporary) visa.
• being told by the Tribunal that your visa cancellation has been set aside.

It’s important to remember, your application won’t be valid if you do not hold a Substantive visa and you have previously been granted a visa based on an application made when you did not hold a Substantive visa.

Also, if you don’t hold a Substantive visa, you won’t be able to apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) if you have ever held a Substantive visa that you applied for in Australia while unlawful.

If you have one of the following visas, you won’t be able to apply for this visa while you are already in Australia:

• Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
• Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or consular) stream
• Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only. A family member of a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) can apply for a Student visa in Australia
• Transit visa (subclass 771)
• Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Sponsored Family stream or in the Approved Destination Status stream

It’s important to make sure you have enough money to pay for your stay. Your living costs will depend on where you’re staying in Australia, and could be higher that what is needed for your visa application.

You should be a genuine temporary visitor and plan on returning home after studying in Australia.

You and any of your family members who are aged 16 years and over who are applying for the visa will need to show they are ‘of good character’. To meet this character requirement, you’ll be asked to take a character test. More information is available here.

You and your family members who apply for the visa will also need to make sure you all meet the health requirement. Here is some more advice on this that you may find helpful when looking for more Student visa guidance.

If you are aged 18 years or older, you will need to:

• have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet
• sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian law.

If you, or any family members (including those who don't apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian government money, will need to have paid it back or have arranged to pay it back.

When applying for this visa, your immigration history will be checked, so if you’ve ever had a a visa cancelled or refused, this could affect your application. There’s a chance you’ll still be able to apply for a permanent visa, so you can read more about the limitation on applications in Australia, here.

This visa might not be granted if it is considered to not be in the best interests of an applicant under the age of 18.

You and any of your family members who are travelling with you will need to have health insurance throughout the whole of your stay in Australia. To find out what level of cover you will require, see Student visa grant periods.

Don’t forget, you and your family members will need to be covered by Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from an approved Australian health insurance provider, unless an 'Exception' applies.

If you’re applying from outside of Australia, check that your cover will start from the day you and your family arrive in Australia, instead of the day your course starts.

If you have been granted a visa and are hoping to travel to Australia before your course begins, the OSHC start date will need to be the same as the date you arrive, instead of the date your course starts. Usually, this is a minimum of 1 week to 1 month before your course starts. 

What am I required to do when applying outside of Australia?

• ensure you don't enter Australia before your OSHC begins.
• maintain your OSHC until you leave Australia.

It’s important to remember to have proof of your health insurance when you arrive in Australia to avoid any possible issues with your entry to the country.

If you’re applying for a Student visa (subclass 500) from inside of Australia, you’ll need to make sure you have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). If your previous visa needed you to have health insurance, it’s important there’s no break in between the cover between your previous health cover and your OSHC.

Yes, you don’t need to have OSHC if you are:

• a Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme
• a Swedish student covered by Kammarkollegiet
• a Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia

How do I go about getting Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)?

There are two key steps to getting OSHC:

• find an approved provider
• pay for your policy

Before getting this, it’s worth checking whether your education provider or agent can arrange OSHC for you. 

If your education provider is able to arrange your OSHC coverage, you’ll need to:

• know the name of your health insurance provider
• know the date that your policy starts and finishes
• be aware of the terms and conditions of your policy. 

Your education provider will also need to include your health insurance information on your Certificate of Enrolment (CoE).

If you arrange OSHC coverage yourself, remember to include the policy number in the visa application.

Unfortunately, your visa application will be refused if you don't give this information when you apply for your Student visa, so be sure to have it handy.

Yes, everyone family member needs to have health insurance, this includes children who are born in Australia. If you already have a single OSHC policy and you have family members, it would be worth thinking about changing to a family policy.

Even if your family don’t join you until after you’ve arrived in Australia, they will still need to show that they ave OSHC for the duration of their stay in Australia.

Can I apply for more than 1 course?

You can apply to take 2 or more courses on your Student visa (subclass 500) where one course clearly leads to the next. The gaps between courses need to be less than two calendar months unless the first course finishes at the end of the standard academic year and the next course starts at the beginning of the next standard academic year.

When you apply for a course, you’ll receive a CoE code. When applying for more than 1 course in your Student visa (subclass 500) application, remember to include all of the CoE codes for each course within the application form. If this is forgotten, your visa may only cover the duration of the course according to the CoE provided. So if not all codes are provided, the duration of your stay may not be correct.

Is there any case that I don’t need to provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)?

Yes, you don’t need to provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) if you are: 

• enroled in a full-time course or training under a scholarship scheme approved by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, you’ll need to provide a letter of support instead.
• sponsored by the Australian Department of Defence, you’ll need to provide a letter of support instead.
• a secondary exchange student, you’ll need to provide an Acceptance Advice of Secondary Exchange Student (AASES) form instead.
• a postgraduate research student who needs to stay in Australia while your thesis is marked, you’ll need to provide a letter from your education provider instead.

What if I’m under 18 and looking to study in Australia?

If you’re under the age of 18, you’ll need to make sure all of your welfare arrangements are sorted for whilst you’re over in Australia. This is simply to check you’ll be well looked-after whilst you’re studying. 

If you turn 18 before you travel, and will therefore be aged 18 by the time you arrive in Australia, be sure to make this known in the application process, as you might not need to provide this information and can save yourself a bit of time! You can read more about making welfare arrangements as a student in Australia, here.

Do I need to meet any English language requirements?

When applying for your Student visa (subclass 500), you may be asked to show how well you know the English language, and you can do this by:

• showing a test score in an English language test that the Department has approved
• showing that you fall into an exemption category listed here.

 You can use the Document Checklist Tool to find out how you can provide the test results.

Please note, if you were unable to take an English language test due to COVID-19, you are allowed extra time to provide your test results.

You can be asked to provide proof of your English language skill at any time, even after you have submitted your application.