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Studying in Australia for a period of time you must apply for a student visa. Studying a short program like a language course, you can use a tourist visa, a maximum of 12 weeks.
You are allowed to study for 16 weeks if you have a working holiday’s visa. If you are applying for Universities and longer programs you are required to apply for a student visa.
Here in this article we will guide you through a simple process on how to apply and get Australia student visa.
Australia student visa Requirement
Before applying for the Australia student visa the following is required:
- Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement
- Financial requirements
- English proficiency requirements
- Health and character requirements
Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement
Genuine Temporary Entrant order wise known as GTE is a requirement by the Department of Home Affairs. It states that all applicant must ensure that the declare their genuine intention of staying in Australia during their course of study.
However, the department also consider the following factors
- Circumstances in your home country
- Potential circumstances for you in Australia
- Value of your chosen course to your future
- Your immigration history
In order to determine whether you meet the GTE requirement, you may be asked to attend an interview at your nearest Australian embassy or consulate. Some applicants will only need to fill in a visa application form.
Financial requirements
The financial requirement is a very essential issue you will take note of. You need to prove that you are financially capable before acquiring the student visa to Australia. Living cost is set at AU$20,290 (~US$15,600) for a year, without adding tuition and travel fee.
If you are traveling with someone probably your children or your spouse you also need to prove that you are capable of taking care of their need including school fees of the children.
You must also show that your spouse or your parent is supportive, they must earn at least AU$60,000 (~US$46,140) a year.
English proficiency requirements
English is an important language in other to help you get a student visa to Australia. If eventually, you are not from English-speaking country, you are to prove that you can speak English to the required level.
The Department of Home Affairs website lists eligible tests, with possibilities being the IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE).
After this process, your score will determine whether you are starting a full degree, doing a foundation course, or enrolling on a preliminary English Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS).
Health and character requirements
All applicant is asked to undergo a medical or a radiological check-up in other to know if they are capable of traveling to Australia.
If told to undergo a medical check-up, you are required to attend an appointment with a doctor who was approved by the Australia immigration department. Except those from Belgium or Norway, all students are obliged to purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
You may purchase this cover through your university, or directly from one of the five approved providers: Australian Health Management, BUPA Australia, Medibank Private, Allianz Global Assistance and nib OSHC. The cost of this health insurance cover will vary depending on the provider and how long you purchase cover for.
Students from Sweden who have purchased health insurance through Kammarkollegiet will not need to purchase OSHC. Belgian and Norwegian students are also not required to purchase OSHC as part of their visa requirements.
How to apply for Australia student visa
The Department of Home Affairs website has a document checklist feature that will provide you with a list of documents required for your specific circumstances. Typically, students must submit the following:
- Completed Australian student visa application form (157A)
- Paid visa application fee– currently AU$560 (~US$430) in most cases
- Copy of passport biodata page (some students may be asked to physically provide their passport)
- Certificate of Enrolment or Letter of Offer
- Evidence of sufficient funds
- Evidence of health insurance cover
- English proficiency test results
- Criminal record check results
- Four recent passport-sized photographs
After you have assembled and scanned your supporting documents, you’ll need to create an account and apply with the online ImmiAccount application system.
Most visa applications take four weeks to process. If you study in Australia for a course that is longer than 10 months and finishes at the end of an Australian academic year (usually mid-December) your visa will usually be valid until 15 March the following year.
If your course is longer than 10 months and finishes in January to October, your visa will usually be valid for two months following the completion of your course.
Under some circumstances, it may be possible to apply for a further visa at the end of your course (consult the Department of Home Affairs website for more details).
Conclusion
In order to acquire a student visa so as to study in Australia all you need is to ensure that you try as much as possible to meet up with the standard and requirement found at the department Home Affairs website.
Thereafter, Apply and wait for some weeks at least 4 weeks, If eligible you will be invited into the program.
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