Australia Student Visa Requirement Guidelines for International Students

Australian Student Visa is also known as subclass 500. However, there are seven types of Australian Student visas. They are;

1. Independent Elicos (Subclass 570): This study visa is for international applicants who want to study the English Language Intensive Courses For Overseas Students (Elias).
2. School Visa (Subclass 571): The course of study may include primary school and secondary school education and an approved Secondary School Exchange Program.
3. Vocational Education and Training (VET) (Subclass 572): These courses may include Certificate I, II, III, and IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses. They are for student who wants to study full-time.
4. Higher Education (Subclass 573): This study visa is for full-time students in higher education courses, such as; bachelor’s degree, associate degree, graduate certificate, and graduate diploma.
5. Postgraduate Research Visa (Subclass 574): This is for a student who wants to study for their Master’s and Doctorate degrees. 
6. Non-Award Visa (subclass 575): This is for a student who wants to study a non-award foundation course. They are full-time courses but do not lead to an Australian award in Australia.
7. Foreign Affairs or Defence Visa (subclass 576): This visa is meant for international students sponsored by the AusAID or Defence to study full-time courses.

• Valid Passport: A passport is the first essential document needed for anyone who wants to travel oversea.
• Confirmation Of Enrollment: It is expected that students would have applied to their desired school before requesting a student visa. The school will then send you a certificate of enrollment needed when you want to process your study visa.
• English Language Proficiency: If English is not your native language, you will need to take the IELTS test and keep the result because it will be needed during your visa application process.
• Proof Of Financial Support: You’d have to show proof of your finance to show that you’re capable of financing yourself all through your stay in Australia. You can use your bank statement or that of your parent or partner.
• Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Statement: This is a written document that states the genuine intention of the applicants. The document should state that you are genuinely coming to Australia to study and that your stay in Australia is only temporary.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): As an international student, you need the OSHC for the duration of your stay. Your student visa application will be declined if you fail to prove that you’ve bought this insurance.

OSHC will help you pay medical bills and pay for most prescribed medications.

• Health Examination: You will need to get the necessary medication check-up. This will stand as proof of your health condition.
• Police Report: This is to verify any criminal records you may have.

Tuition fees in Australia vary considerably depending on the institution and the course of study. Other courses aside from Medicine and Engineering are moderately cheap. In 2018, the average tuition fee for the international undergraduate was AU$30,840 per year but now AU$37,480 on an average, while the international postgraduate student paid AU$31,596. 

The tuition fees for the Master’s degree and the Doctorate are stated below;

• Master’s degree tuition fees range from AUD$20,000- to AUD$37,000.
• Doctorate tuition fees range from AU$14,000- to AU$37,000.

The Australian government released new rules in July 2021. These rules are majorly for international students to support and make applying for visas quite easy. In recent years, many international students have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult for many students to return to school. Now some rules are released in their favor to ensure that their admission is still intact and encourage them to return to school. Also, to make flexible the application for the Australian study visa. These rules are listed below;

1. Opening Of Borders For International Students: When all borders are open for international students to apply for study visas, many students will be encouraged to apply for the institution of their choice in Australia. 
2. Temporary Graduate Visa: Students who were given travel restrictions ever since the pandemic can go and apply, and they will be given a Temporary Graduate Visa from outside Australia.
3. Online Courses: The government will now consider all online educational classes taken outside Australia due to COVID-19 as a part of the Australian Study Requirement for existing and newly admitted students.
4. Free Student Visa Extension: For students who couldn’t complete their registered courses in an Australian university within their visa validity due to the pandemic, the government of Australia is offering them a free application for a student visa extension to complete their courses.
5. Additional Time To Submit Documents: The government is also offering more time to applicants to submit their necessary documents such as the IELTS test, biometrics, proof of funds, and many more as disrupted by the pandemic.
6. Government Support Funds For International Students: The government is taking steps to protect international students against eviction from their rental accommodation with similar protection laws offered to all Australian Citizens. To take care of the financial hardship of students, the government put up Australian Superannuation (FUNDS) for the student to access before time.
7. Post-study Work Is Available For Students: The application of post-study work is now made available for international students who have been restricted to travel due to the pandemic.