STUDENT
VISA
Australia’s Overseas Student Program
The Australian Government operates an overseas
student program (OSP) that allows people who are not Australian
citizens or Australian permanent residents to study in Australia.
Anyone who is not an Australian resident may apply to study
in Australia under the OSP. If you want to study under this
program, you must obtain a student visa before you can commence
a course of study in Australia.
Registered Courses
You can be granted a student visa only if
you wish to undertake a registered course or part of a registered
course on a full-time basis. A registered course is an education
or training course offered by an Australian education provider
who is registered with the Australian Government to offer
courses to overseas students.
Applying your Student Visa
•
pay for your course fee in order to obtain a confirmation of
enrolment (COE)
•
adequate health insurance by obtaining the Overseas Student
Health Cover (OSHC)
•
no debts to the Commonwealth
•
good character
• you will not be allowed to study in Australia while
you are under 18 years of age unless:
- you
are accompanied by a parent or legal custodian,
- you
stay with a suitable relative, or
- your
education provider provides a written statement saying that
your accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements
are appropriate.
- find
out your student visa assessment level according to your nationality
of passport and satisfy the checklist requirements for the
student visa application eg. bank statements, past qualifications,
English language requirement etc.
Extending your Stay
Following your initial student visa, you
may wish to extend your stay for:
•
continue your studies with a new student visa
•
attend your graduation ceremony
•
have a holiday
•
to migrate to Australia under the General Skilled Migration
program
•
If you want to change to a new course at the same level of qualification,
you do not need to apply for a new Student visa unless your
current visa is about to expire.
•
If you want to change your level of qualification, you will
need to apply for a new Student visa because your visa subclass
will have changed.
Example: Changing from a graduate diploma to a PhD degree.
•
All initial student visas are granted with the Condition 8206,
No Change of Provider.
•
This means you must stay with your principal (or main) education
provider for the first 12 months.
•
Where you have been granted a package, you must stay for the
first 12 months of the principal (or main) course and for the
duration of any prerequisite course/s.
• However, you may change your course if the new course
is:
- at the
same level of qualification, Example: A bachelor or masters
degree,
- of
the same duration, and with the same education provider.
• To apply for a change of provider within the first
12 months of your study in Australia, you must demonstrate
exceptional circumstances justifying the change of your enrolment.
Exceptional circumstances can include:
- the
provider ceasing operations,
- an
Australian government sponsor considering the change to be
in the best interest of the student, and has provided written
support,
- the
original provider stating in writing that the course is inappropriate,
that is it does not adequately meet the needs of the student,
and
- compassionate
and compelling circumstances.
•
All initial Student visas are granted with the condition 8101,
No Work.
•
You and members of your family can apply for permission to work
only after you have commenced your studies in Australia.
•
If you are given permission to work, there will be restrictions
on the number of hours you will be allowed to work in a week
depending on the condition (for example 20 hours a week).
•
You may undertake a work placement as part of your course requirements
as long as it is a registered part of your course. Your education
provider will know if the work is a registered component of
the course.
•
If you volunteer or take part in unpaid work, then you must
apply for permission to work. Any volunteer or unpaid work counts
towards the limit of 20 hours per week.
•
If you are granted permission to work, a new visa label will
be put into your passport. It will have a work limitation condition
(8105 or 8104), instead of the no work condition (8101).
•
You need to obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) to work in Australia.
You can obtain a TFN through the Australian Tax Office.
Bringing Family Members
You are generally eligible to apply to bring
family members to Australia if you are assessed as:
•
assessment level 1 or 2, or
•
assessment level 3 or 4 and your course is for more than 12
months.
Who are members of your family?
Members of your family are:
•
your spouse, and
•
you or your spouse’s dependent children who have not turned
18 and who are unmarried.
Under Australian law, your spouse may be
either:
•
a person to whom you are legally married, or
• a person of the opposite sex with whom you have been
living for at least 12 months and with whom you have a genuine
and exclusive relationship (your de facto).
If you are
planning to have members of your family live with you in Australia,
then you must show proof of your relationship to them, such as
officially issued birth and marriage certificates. The Australian
government office overseas or department office processing your
application will contact you if further information is needed.
Sometimes you or your family member may also be asked to come
in for an interview.
Declaring family members
All members of your family must be declared
on your student visa application, whether or not they intend
to travel to Australia at any time. If you do not declare
a member of your family in your application, then that person
will not be eligible to come to Australia on your student
visa. Please note that if a person (including a new spouse
or newborn child) becomes a member of your family only after
you make your application, they may be eligible to apply for
a visa as a member of your family, or to be included in your
next student visa application.
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