Student Visas Australia


A Student Visa to Australia, commonly referred to as a Study Visa, is available to those who wish to complete a course of study at an Australian educational institution. Generally speaking, Study Visas require that applicants satisfy the following requirements:

  • That they have a genuine intention to study and stay temporarily in Australia

  • Meet both the financial and English level requirements depending on the Assessment Level 

For 485 Temporary Graduate Visas, click here.

Genuine Temporary Entrant
Applicants looking to apply for a Study Visa to Australia will need to demonstrate a genuine intention to enter and remain in Australia temporarily (the Genuine Temporary Entrant criterion). Importantly, this is a broad subjective assessment made by Departmental case officers taking into consideration:

An applicant’s circumstances, such as:

a.     Whether the applicant has sufficient reasons for now studying a similar course in their home country

b.     An applicant’s ties to their home country (such as family, community and employment)

c.     Military service obligations in an applicant’s home country

d.     Political or civil unrest in the applicants home country

e.     Their ties to Australia (such as family or friends in Australia) which would serve as an incentive to stay

f.      If the Student visa is being used primarily just as a means of residing or extending their in Australia

g.     The value of the course being studied in Australia to the applicants future such as assisting in obtaining future employment in their home country

An applicant’s immigration history, such as:

a.     Previous visa applications to Australia or other countries

b.     Previous travels to Australia and the amount of time previously spent in the country

c.     Previous visa compliance history both in Australia and overseas

Assessment Levels
For useful information on the specifics of each Assessment Level, please follow this link.

Student Visa Types
The level of course being undertaken in Australia will dictate the Subclass of the visa that will be granted:

570 Visa - This visa allows applicants to visit Australia to study a full-time English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS). 

571 Visa - This visa is for younger students looking to undertake primary or secondary schooling in Australia.

572 Visa - This visa allows students to study a full-time vocational education and training course such as a Certificate I, II, III, Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Graduate Certificate.

573 Visa - This visa allows students to study a full-time higher education course such as a Bachelor, Masters or Post Graduate Diploma.

574 Visa - This visa allows applicants to stay in Australia to do postgraduate research (PhD).