Australia student visa guide

The subclass 500 Student visa lets you study full time at an Australian institution for up to 6 years, in line with your enrolment. You apply online through ImmiAccount with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), Overseas Student Health Cover and evidence that you are a genuine student. New rules from 2 October 2026 limit who can apply inside Australia and whether partners and children can be included.

Use the guide below as a planning reference, then check the official source before you pay anything or submit an application.

Tips from experience

• Use the Home Affairs Document Checklist tool so you attach exactly what your nationality and provider require.
• Write Genuine Student answers in your own words and support each claim with a document.
• Book biometrics as soon as the request arrives, because the 14 day window is short.
• Count travel costs at the West Africa rate of AUD 3,000 if you apply from Nigeria or Ghana.
• Do not plan to bring a partner or children unless you meet an exemption under the rules from 2 October 2026.
• Confirm the visa charge in the Visa Pricing Estimator on the day you pay.

Documents most applicants need are marked required. Others depend on your case or on what the office asks for. Build a printable checklist.

• Valid passport Required

• Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) Required

  One for each course if you are packaging courses.

• Overseas Student Health Cover details Required

  Insurer, policy dates and policy number.

• Genuine Student answers and supporting evidence Required

  For example study history, employment and family ties.

• Academic transcripts and certificates Required

• Australian Values Statement Required

  Signed in the form if you are 18 or older.

• Proof of financial capacity If asked

  Attach it if the Document Checklist tool says so. Home Affairs can still ask for it later.

• English test results If asked

  Needed unless exempt. The checklist tool shows whether to attach them.

• Biometrics If asked

  Given at a VFS centre if requested.

• Health examinations If asked

  If ImmiAccount shows a health requirement.

• Polio vaccination certificate If asked

  If you are travelling from, or spent time in, a country Home Affairs lists as a polio risk.

• Welfare arrangement and parental consent If asked

  Required if you are under 18.

Indicative government fees only. School fees, translations, tests, courier and service charges are extra.

Living funds

A$29,710 for one year

Basis

Home Affairs sets 12 months of living costs at AUD 29,710 for the student. On top of that you must show 12 months of course fees (less what you have already paid) and travel costs. The Department's travel guide is AUD 3,000 if you apply from West Africa and AUD 2,500 from East or Southern Africa.

Tuition included

No, add your first year tuition

Alternative: evidence that your parents or partner earned at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply (AUD 102,500 if family members come), shown with official tax documents, not bank statements. The Document Checklist tool tells you whether you must attach financial evidence. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is not a visa fee: it is compulsory health insurance you buy from an approved insurer (often through your university) for your whole stay, and its price depends on the insurer and the length of cover.

Typical decision time

Home Affairs publishes processing times in its visa processing time guide tool and processes offshore student applications under Ministerial Direction 115 (see the Student visa processing priorities page). Times vary, so check the tool for recent decisions before you plan travel.

How early you can apply

Apply once you hold your CoE and OSHC details and have gathered the documents the ImmiAccount checklist asks for. Home Affairs asks for a complete, decision-ready application.

Latest sensible time to apply

Lodge well before your course starts, because peak periods take longer and a biometrics request gives you only 14 days to attend. Allow time for health exams and requests for more information too.

1. 1

   Get an offer and your CoE

   Accept an offer from a CRICOS-registered provider, pay the deposit it asks for and receive your Confirmation of Enrolment. You must hold a valid CoE when Home Affairs decides your visa.

2. 2

   Buy Overseas Student Health Cover

   Arrange OSHC from an approved insurer, or through your provider, covering your whole stay. Note the insurer name, policy number and dates for the application.

3. 3

   Prepare funds and genuine student evidence

   Show 12 months of living costs, course fees and travel, or the parents' income alternative. Prepare answers for the Genuine Student questions that explain why this course, this provider and why Australia.

4. 4

   Take an approved English test

   Sit an approved test at a test centre, not online at home, and keep the result. It must be within 2 years of lodging.

5. 5

   Apply online in ImmiAccount

   Create an ImmiAccount, complete the Student visa form, attach the documents its checklist lists and pay the visa application charge.

6. 6

   Give biometrics

   If asked, book a biometrics appointment within 14 days. In Nigeria, VFS Global runs Australian Biometric Collection Centres in Lagos and Abuja.

7. 7

   Complete health exams

   If ImmiAccount shows a health requirement, use your HAP ID referral letter to book an exam with an approved panel clinic.

8. 8

   Wait for the decision and travel

   Answer any request for information quickly and do not book non-refundable travel before the grant. Read your visa conditions before you fly.

Work and post study rules change often. Confirm them on the official source before you plan around them.

• The Genuine Student requirement was not met, for example the course does not fit your study or work history.
• Financial evidence was missing, too low or the source of the money could not be verified.
• OSHC details were not provided in the application.
• The English test was not an approved test, was taken online at home or was older than 2 years.
• Biometrics or health exams were not completed within the deadline.
• Documents were false or misleading, or a previous visa was cancelled or refused.

Refused before? Read what to do after a visa refusal.