Subclass 500 — Student visa

Eligibility snapshot

In general terms: enrolment in a registered (CRICOS) course evidenced by a Confirmation of Enrolment, meeting the Genuine Student requirement, Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole stay, sufficient funds for fees and living costs, and English language evidence where required. Requirements vary by education sector and citizenship — this is general information only.

Frequently asked questions

Health examinations and character checks

Most people applying for an Australian visa must meet a health requirement, and Student visa applicants are generally asked to satisfy it as part of their application. Whether health examinations are needed depends on individual circumstances, and any results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth against set standards. Examinations arranged outside Australia are generally done through the Department's approved panel physicians or clinics, while those arranged in Australia are done through the Department's nominated migration medical services provider. Applicants pay for their own examinations. Applicants can sometimes complete examinations before lodging a visa application by obtaining a HAP ID through the My Health Declarations service and quoting it when they apply. Health examination results are generally treated as valid for around twelve months, so timing is worth keeping in mind if there may be a delay before lodging. Separately, everyone applying for a visa is assessed against the character requirements, which are set out in the Migration Act 1958. Applicants declare any criminal conduct, answer the character questions truthfully, and may be asked to provide further information, a police certificate, or a statement of character. A police certificate (also called a penal clearance certificate) is commonly requested from each country a person has lived in for 12 months or more over the past 10 years, and is generally sought where the applicant is over 17; a certificate is usually expected to cover the period from when the person turned 16. Costs for health examinations and any certificates are generally the applicant's own responsibility. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice; personal circumstances vary and only a registered practitioner can advise on an individual case.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

Student visa holders are generally required to hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the whole time they hold the visa, including cover for any family members included in the application, unless they fall within an exemption category. As a guide, cover is generally expected to be maintained for the duration of the stay and, at minimum, to cover the length of the course. Holding a student visa without adequate health insurance can breach visa condition 8501. OSHC is designed to help meet the cost of hospital and medical treatment and also includes ambulance services and limited pharmaceutical benefits. It generally does not cover general or 'extras' treatment such as dental, optical or physiotherapy, which some students choose to insure separately. Because a visa's end date is set at grant and generally cannot be changed afterwards, the expiry date of the OSHC purchased is usually taken into account when the length of stay is decided. Keeping cover paid up matters, as an insurer may not pay for treatment received during a period when the policy was in arrears. Some applicants may fall within an exemption, and students from certain countries may also have access to care under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and their home country, in addition to OSHC. The Australian Government's private health information website lists the insurers that offer OSHC and explains these arrangements. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice; check the specific requirements that apply to an individual situation.

Visa Application Charge and other departmental costs

A Student visa application involves a government Visa Application Charge. This is made up of a base application charge paid by the main applicant, plus an additional applicant charge for each family member included in the same application (charged at different rates for applicants aged 18 and over and those under 18). Amounts are set by the Australian Government and are reviewed from time to time, so the current figure is best confirmed using the official Visa Pricing Estimator rather than relying on a fixed number. A lower visa cost applies in limited circumstances. Concessions are available to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens, eligible ASEAN citizens, and applicants in the ELICOS and Non-Award sectors who lodge a valid application. Beyond the Visa Application Charge, applicants generally meet other costs themselves; the official pricing tools note that they do not take these other costs into account. Examples can include health examinations and any police or penal clearance certificates and supporting documents an applicant needs to obtain. The government Visa Application Charge is separate from, and should not be confused with, any fee charged by a service provider or platform for assistance. This is general information only, not a quote, and current amounts should be verified on the official government pages.

Visa length, processing and key timing

A Student visa is usually granted for a period in line with the enrolment shown on the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), and the maximum length of stay generally does not exceed six years. The expiry date of the applicant's OSHC (and, where relevant, welfare arrangements for students under 18) is typically taken into account when the length of stay is set, and the visa end date generally cannot be changed once the visa is granted. The Department publishes indicative processing times through an online guide that reflects recently decided applications. These figures are a guide only, are not specific to any one application, and can vary with individual circumstances, application volumes, and how complete the application is when lodged. Student visa applications lodged from outside Australia are processed in line with a Ministerial Direction that sets government processing priorities: applications lodged before 14 November 2025 fall under Ministerial Direction 111, and those lodged on or after that date fall under Ministerial Direction 115. A Ministerial Direction is not a visa cap and does not set the criteria for approving or refusing an application. Applicants are generally advised to lodge a complete application and not to finalise travel arrangements until a visa has been granted. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa conditions that generally apply

A Student visa (subclass 500) is granted with mandatory conditions, which are drawn from Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994. The exact conditions attached to any individual visa appear on the grant notice and in VEVO, so holders are generally directed to check those against their own grant letter rather than assume a standard set. Condition 8202 (meet course requirements) requires the holder to remain enrolled in a CRICOS-registered course and to maintain satisfactory attendance and course progress. Condition 8105 (work limitation) provides that a student cannot work before their course starts and, once it has, may generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session and unlimited hours when it is not in session; a student who holds the visa in relation to a masters degree by research or a doctoral degree that has commenced is not subject to the 48-hour limit. Condition 8501 requires the holder to maintain adequate health insurance (generally Overseas Student Health Cover) for the duration of their stay. Condition 8516 requires the holder to continue to satisfy the criteria for the grant of the visa, and condition 8533 requires the student to notify their education provider of their Australian residential address, and any change of address, within a set time. Where family are included, condition 8517 requires adequate arrangements for the education of any school-age dependants. For students under 18, condition 8532 requires approved welfare arrangements to be maintained. Condition 8303 (not becoming involved in activities disruptive to, or violence threatening, the Australian community) applies as a standard integrity condition. In some cases a 'no further stay' condition (8534 or 8535) may be imposed, which restricts applying for most other visas while the holder is in Australia. Because the conditions imposed can differ between grants, holders are generally directed to their own grant letter and VEVO for the definitive list. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Eligibility factors decision-makers generally consider

The subclass 500 is a single temporary visa for full-time study, without separate named streams; it covers study across sectors from schools and ELICOS through to vocational, higher education, postgraduate research and certain non-award and government-sponsored study. Applicants are generally asked to be enrolled in a full-time course registered on CRICOS and to hold a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (in limited cases, such as certain government-sponsored or exchange arrangements, other evidence of enrolment may be accepted) at the time a decision is made. The Genuine Student (GS) requirement applies to applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024; applications lodged before that date are assessed under the earlier Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement. The GS requirement looks at whether the applicant is a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student and understands that study is their primary purpose, considering matters such as the applicant's current circumstances (including ties to family, community, employment and economic circumstances), why they wish to study the particular course with the particular provider, and how the course will benefit them. It expressly recognises that a genuine student may develop skills Australia needs and may later choose to apply for permanent residence, and a future intention of that kind is not held against the applicant. Decision-makers also consider financial capacity — being able to show access to funds for tuition, travel and living costs — and English language ability, with the evidence required depending on the applicant's circumstances. Other generally applicable requirements include adequate health insurance (usually OSHC) or an exemption, meeting the health and character requirements, and, for applicants under 18, appropriate welfare arrangements. An applicant can be in or outside Australia when applying, but if applying in Australia they must hold an eligible substantive visa. Holders of certain substantive visas — for example a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485), Visitor (subclass 600), Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601), Medical Treatment (subclass 602), eVisitor (subclass 651), Transit (subclass 771) or Maritime Crew (subclass 988) visa — are generally unable to apply for a Student visa while in Australia. This information is framed generally and does not assess any individual's circumstances or eligibility. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

A student can generally include family members in their application — a partner (a spouse or de facto partner), and a dependent child who is unmarried and has not turned 18. Family members must be declared in the application even if they do not plan to travel to Australia; if they are not declared, they may not later be eligible to join the student. Family members can either be included when the application is lodged or, where they were declared, apply later as subsequent entrants through a separate application; a child born after the application is lodged can also be added. Once the course has started, the primary holder can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session and unlimited hours when it is not, with no limit for a student undertaking a masters degree by research or a doctoral degree. Included family members generally have their own work limitation of up to 48 hours per fortnight, while family members of a student undertaking a masters by research or doctoral degree generally have unlimited work rights. The visa generally allows the holder and included family members to travel in and out of Australia while it is valid; time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. School-age dependent children may need to be enrolled in school, and school fees can apply. Access to Medicare is not automatic; it generally depends on whether the person's home country has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia (which covers medically necessary care), and students from other countries are generally expected to rely on Overseas Student Health Cover. The Student visa is a temporary visa and does not itself lead to permanent residence; any move to permanent residence would be through a separate visa with its own criteria. Holders remain responsible for continuing to meet their visa conditions for the whole period of stay. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the Tribunal

Applications of this type may be refused where the decision-maker is not satisfied that a requirement is met — for example where the Genuine Student requirement is not met, where evidence of financial capacity is considered insufficient, where there is no valid Confirmation of Enrolment or adequate health insurance, where the health or character requirements are not met, or where supporting documents are incomplete, inconsistent or unable to be verified. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which commenced on 14 October 2024 in place of the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal. On merits review the Tribunal takes a fresh look at the case and makes its own decision. Strict time limits apply, and they depend on the type of decision and the applicant's circumstances; the department's decision letter states whether the decision can be reviewed, who may apply, and by when, and the Tribunal has no power to extend that time limit. An application fee applies to a review of most migration decisions, and a reduction may be available in limited circumstances such as financial hardship. Procedures have also been changing: amendments to the Administrative Review Tribunal Act allow the Tribunal to decide reviews of certain temporary visa refusals without holding an oral hearing, and the Government has indicated this process is intended to apply to student visa refusals in the first instance, which makes the written material central. This is neutral, factual information about the review process and is not a prediction of any outcome. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs: the government charge and other departmental costs

The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge (VAC), set by the Department of Home Affairs. For the primary Student visa applicant the base VAC is AUD 2,500 as shown on the department's official pricing at the time of writing. Because these charges are periodically reviewed and can change, applicants are generally asked to confirm the current figure on the department's official visa pricing table or Visa Pricing Estimator before lodging. Where family are included, an additional applicant charge applies for each extra person; the amount depends on the visa, the applicant's age (with different rates for those aged 18 and over and those under 18) and whether they are in or outside Australia at the time of lodgement. A subsequent temporary application charge can also apply per person for some applications made while the applicant is in Australia; it generally does not apply to an application made from outside Australia. The VAC may be structured as a first and a second instalment, and the second instalment is not payable if an application is refused or withdrawn before it falls due. Visa Application Charges are generally not refunded, including where an application is refused or withdrawn, so a fresh charge would normally apply to any new application. A card payment surcharge may also apply when paying by credit or debit card. Beyond the government charge there are usually other departmental and third-party costs, which can include health examinations, police clearance certificates, biometrics where required, and health insurance (Overseas Student Health Cover). These are separate from any tuition fees charged by the education provider. The government Visa Application Charge is separate from, and additional to, any service or platform fee charged by an independent provider; the two should never be treated as the same amount. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.