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This visa is designed for international students applying to study in Australia and whose main course of study is one of the following:

Who is this visa for?

How much will this visa cost?

You must pay a non-refundable visa application charge when you lodge your visa application.of AUS $540

What does the visa let me do?

· when you have commenced your course of study in Australia, you can work up to 20 hours per week while your course is in session and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.

· your family members can work up to 20 hours per week provided you have commenced your course of study in Australia. If you are doing a postgraduate course, such as a Masters degree, your family members can work unlimited hours once you commence this course.
Note: If you have been granted Student visa before26 April 2008 you and your dependent family members may need to apply separately for Permission to Work.

· your partner can study in Australia for up to three months.
Note: If your partner wants to study for more than three months they must apply for their own student visa. The application can be made in Australia.

What is your assessment level?

Your assessment level is determined by your nationality and course of study. For more information about assessment levels, please read Information form 1219i, Overseas Student Program - Assessment Levels.

Before you apply for this visa, you must have applied for and been accepted to study full-time at an educational institution in Australia.

Length of stay

This visa allows you to stay in Australia for the duration of your course. It permits multiple entries to Australia. Dependent family members who come with you to Australia are usually able to stay the same length of time as you, but they cannot stay once you have left the country.

Note: If your student visa expires before your graduation, you can apply for a Visitor visa. You will need a letter from your education provider which states the date of your graduation.

Working while studying

If you have been granted a Student visa on or after 26 April 2008, you and your dependent family members will already have Permission to Work automatically included with your visa.

If you were granted a Student visa before 26 April 2008 and have not yet applied for Permission to Work, you and your dependent family members may only apply for Permission to Work after you have started your course in Australia.

The table below outlines the work entitlements for you and your dependent family members if you have Permission to Work.

Important: You must also comply with the State and Territory laws of Australia. Under all State and Territory laws, you cannot work during school hours if you are under the school leaving age, which in most states is 15 years.

When is your course in session?

· for the duration of the advertised semesters (including periods when exams are being held)

· if you have completed your studies and your Confirmation of Enrolment is still in effect

· if you are undertaking another course, during a break from your main course and the points will be credited to your main course.

Student visa definitions

A person is the spouse of another person if they are in a married relationship. Persons are in a married relationship if: they are married to each other under a marriage that is valid for the purposes of the Migration Act 1958; they have a mutual commitment to a shared life as husband and wife to the exclusion of all others; the relationship between them is genuine and continuing; and they live together or do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis.

A person is the de facto partner of another person (whether of the same sex or a different sex) if the person is in a de facto relationship with the other person. Persons are in a de facto relationship if:

· they have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, and

· they live together or do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis and

For an application for a permanent, Business Skills (Provisional), Student (Temporary), Partner (Provisional), Partner (Temporary), or a General Skilled Migration visa the de facto relationship must have existed for at least 12 months immediately preceding the date of application.

The child or stepchild of yourself or your partner who has not turned 18 and is not married or engaged to be married or in a de facto relationship.

A student whose travel, tuition and living expenses are paid by one of the following:

· a provincial or state government of a foreign country (with the written support of the national government)

· a multilateral agency
Examples: United Nations, World Bank or Asian Development Bank or an organisation gazetted by the Minister.

Accepted in full-time study

You must be accepted for full-time study in a registered course or part of a registered course to be eligible for this visa.

Note: A registered course is an education or training course offered by an Australian education provider registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

Financial requirements

You must have enough money to pay for travel, tuition and living expenses for yourself, your partner and your dependent children for the duration of your stay in Australia. You must also have enough money to support your partner and dependent children, even if they do not travel with you to Australia.

Health requirements

You must meet certain health requirements and may need to undergo a health examination. The requirements vary based on:

· other health risks in your home country or countries you have visited for more than three months within the last five years.

Health examinations can be completed before you lodge your visa application, but no more than six months before your course starts.

Health insurance

You must have health insurance while in Australia. Health insurance can be provided by obtaining Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) which provides medical and hospital insurance.
See: Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

You can ask your education provider to organise OSHC for you, or you can select an approved OSHC provider yourself and pay the insurance.

· a Swedish student covered by the National Board of Student Aid or by Kammarkollegiet.

Proof of insurance: When you lodge your application, you must provide a receipt or other proof of your OSHC payment. The OSHC should commence when you arrive in Australia.

English language skills

The table below outlines the English language skills you require and the evidence you must provide for the grant of your first student visa or to renew your student visa.

Fully funded students: If you are a fully funded student, your education provider will adivse you of the level of English you require and the evidence you must provide.

Academic record and history

If you are applying for your first student visa, you must provide evidence that you:

· successfully completed Year 12 or equivalent, by providing school reports and academic records

· successfully completed Year 11 or equivalent, by providing school reports and academic records,
and have completed or are enrolled in a Foundation course in Australia.
Note: A Foundation course is a course registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) as 'Foundation Studies'.

· successfully completed a qualification from the Australian Qualification Framework at Certificate IV level or higher in a course that was conducted in Australia
or

· have a Confirmation of Enrolment in a course that leads to a qualification from the Australian Qualification Framework at Certificate IV level or higher, and that you will complete before your main course.

If you are applying to renew your student visa, you must provide academic reports and previous records of attendance to show that you satisfied the course requirements.

Character requirements

You must be of good character to enter Australia. The information you provide on the 'Character Declaration' section of your application will be used to assess your character.

Debts to the Australian Government

Australian Values Statement

If you are aged 18 years or over, you must declare that you will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. When you sign the application form it means you will also be signing the values statement. You will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if you wish.

You are also encouraged to gain an understanding of Australia, its people and their way of life, before applying for this visa.

Our family members are only eligible to accompany you to Australia if your course is 12 months or longer.

You must declare all family members on your application, even if they do not plan to travel with you to Australia. If you do not declare all family members on your application, they will not be eligible to come as dependants after you have arrived in Australia. You must also provide proof of your relationship to them, in the form of officially issued birth and marriage certificates.

Your family members must meet specific requirements to be eligible for this visa as a student dependant.

Financial requirements

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have enough money to support your family members while they are in Australia.

Health requirements

Your dependant family members must meet certain health requirements and may need to undergo a health examination. The requirements vary based on:

· other health risks in home country or countries visited for more than three (3) months within the last five (5) years.

Note: Health examinations can be completed before you lodge your visa application, but no more than six (6) months before your course starts.

Health insurance

Your family members must have health insurance while in Australia. You can include them in your Overseas Student Health Cover, which provides medical and hospital insurance.

Proof of insurance: When you lodge your application, you must provide a receipt or other proof of your health insurance payment covering your family members.

Character requirements

Your family members must be of good character to enter Australia. The information provided on the Character Declaration section of your application, will be used to assess the character of your family members.

Australian Values Statement

All visa applicants aged 18 years or over, must declare that they will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia. For applicants of this visa, the values statement is included in the general declaration section of the application form. By signing the form applicants will also be signing the values statement. Applicants for this visa will not be required to have read the Life in Australia book, but may do so if they wish.

Visa applicants are also encouraged to gain an understanding of Australia, its people and their way of life, before applying for this visa.

you must uphold your visa conditions while studying and living in Australia or your visa may be cancelled and you may have to leave Australia.

Course enrolment, attendance and progress

You must remain enrolled in a course registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

You must maintain satisfactory attendance in your course as required by your education provider.

Your education provider will advise the department if your attendance or course progress is not satisfactory. The definition of 'satisfactory' is determined by your education provider.

Changing your education provider

From 1 July 2007 the 'no change of provider' condition (8206), which restricted student visa holders from changing education provider within the first 12 months of their main course of study ceased to have effect.

If you want to change your level of qualification, you will need to apply for a new student visa because your visa subclass will change.
Example: You want to change from a Diploma to a PhD degree.

Providing your home address

You must advise your education provider of your home address within seven days of arriving in Australia. Also, if you change your address during your stay in Australia, you must advise your education provider within seven days.

Note: Your education provider needs your home address so they can contact you if you do not satisfy the requirements of your course. If they cannot contact you, this could result in your student visa being cancelled.

'No further stay' condition

Some visas are issued with a 'no further stay' condition. This condition means that you cannot apply to stay in Australia beyond the date specified on your visa, except in extremely limited circumstances.

· a visa to engage Australia's obligations under the 1951 United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees.

Financial capacity

You must maintain enough money to pay for travel, tuition and living expenses for yourself, your partner and your dependent children for the duration of your stay in Australia.

School age family members

Any family members of school age (between 5 and 18 years) living in Australia must attend school inAustralia.

Health insurance

You must maintain health insurance for you and your family members while in Australia. Health insurance can be provided by obtaining Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) which provides medical and hospital insurance.

Mandatory Conditions

The following table describes the mandatory conditions that are attached to all Student visas in the following subclasses.

Discretionary Conditions

The following table describes the discretionary conditions relating to each subclass that may be attached to a Student visa.

Complete applications

When you lodge your application, it is important that you include all the required documents with your application. Lodging a complete application assists case officers to quickly process your application.

If you cannot provide all the supporting documentation when you lodge your visa application, tell the department which documents are missing and when you expect to be able to provide them. Incomplete applications may be delayed or, in some cases, refused.
See: Application Checklist Higher Education visa (Subclass 573) Assessment Level 4 (94KB PDF file)

Passport details

Your visa will be linked to the passport number you used in your application. You must use the same passport to travel to and from Australia. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the time you lodge the application.

Important: To avoid significant delays at your departure point for Australia, you must advise the department of new passport details before you travel to Australia.

Application charge

Other costs

There may also be other costs associated with the application, such as translating documents into English. You will also need to pay for any medical examinations.

If required, you may also need to provide a police check. Charges for obtaining police checks vary in each country. When required to obtain your own police checks, you are personally responsible for all arrangements and charges.

How to apply

You can apply by mail or in person. You may be able to apply online, for more information please go to How to Apply.

Outside Australia

· you and your family members can apply online through a migration agent if you are a citizen of:

· You cannot apply to renew online more than 124 days (4 months) before your course starts

· A family member cannot apply online separately from the student. They can apply separately by post or in person.

In Australia

· You cannot apply to renew online more than 93 days (3 months) before your course starts

· There are no time restrictions for students applying for a further Student visa in Australia by post or in person, however applications made more than 93 days in advance of the course commencement date will be carefully assessed and may be refused if a decision-maker considers the applicant is unlikely to be a genuine student

· A family member cannot apply online separately from the student. They can apply separately by post or in person.

Checklist for Student Visa Application - India

Form 157A Application to visit Australia for a student (temporary) visa

Visa Application Charge

Form 956 Appointment Of A Migration Agent Or Exempt Agent Or Other Authorised Recipient. Please fill in this form if you want a migration agent or other authorised person to receive communications about your application with the department.

Copies of passport or travel documents of all people included in the application and, if medical examinations have already been undertaken, original passports.

NB These copies should include a photocopy of the biodata page and any page showing endorsements or change of name. For current Indian passports a good quality photocopy of the back page with information on parents' names and previous passports. The passport photocopies do not need to be certified.

Recent passport photo - head and shoulders only, plain background

Letter of offer issued by education provider or

electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) or

completed Acceptance Advice for Secondary Exchange Students (AASES) form.

Evidence of the relationship between members of the family unit certificates (including those who are not joining you in Australia)..

Example:

- Certified copies or notarised copies of birth

- Marriage certificate.

If married, evidence that the marriage is genuine and ongoing:

Examples:

- selection of wedding photos and other photos

- affidavits from yourself and third parties

- evidence of join ownership of assets/finances

Financial documents, including:

- evidence of funds held, loan and/or scholarship

- evidence of income

- financial matrix (see http://www.india.embassy.gov.au/ndli/vm_studyaus.htmland http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/index.htm )

Original academic documents:

Examples:

- certificates, diplomas, degrees and

- academic transcripts

English proficiency (for subclasses, 570, 572, 573, 574 & 575):

- IELTS certificate, or

- If applicable evidence of sponsorship by your Government or the Australian Government, or

- Evidence of sponsorship by multilateral agency (eg World Bank)

For information on this requirement, see http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/index.htmand follow the links to the relevant checklist

For students under 18 years, evidence of welfare and consent arrangements (see http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/index.htmand follow the links to the relevant checklist)

Note: The above is guide to the documents you should provide with your student visa application. For a full list of all requirements and documents, please consult the website: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/index.htm

For any original documents which are to be returned, please provide copies and place the originals in a separate envelope.