With the Subclass 500 Student Visa, you can:

1. Dive into an eligible course of study in Australia
2. Come and go from Australia as you please
3. Work up to 48 hours a fortnight while studying (if you’re doing a masters by research or a doctorate, no work limits for you or your family!)

How long can you stay? This visa lets you study in Australia for up to 5 years, depending on your course length. Primary school kids enrolling in years 1-4 will generally get a student visa for up to 3 years.

Want to stay longer? If you’re keen to keep studying Down Under, you’ll need to apply for a new Student visa.

If your Student visa runs out before you graduate, you might be able to apply for a Visitor visa (Subclass 600)—just grab a letter from your school confirming your graduation date.

Finished your studies? You could be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485) if you’ve wrapped up specific qualifications here in Australia in the last six months.

If you’re planning to stick around for other reasons, check out your visa options and apply for the one that suits you best.

Visa Costs Starting from AUD1,600 for the main applicant (unless you’re exempt). There are extra charges for family members too. If you’re from a Pacific Island or Timor-Leste, you might be able to get a partial refund.

Remember, you may also have to fork out for health checks, police certificates, and biometrics. To get an estimate of your visa costs, use the Visa Pricing Estimator (but keep in mind it won’t account for all the extras).

COVID-19 Student Visa Help If you had a Student visa on or after February 1, 2020, you might be able to get your visa application fee waived for a new application if:

• You had to defer your studies because of travel restrictions
• You had to drop to part-time studies
• You couldn’t finish your work-based training or placements

This waiver doesn’t cover ordinary reasons like failing a course, deferring for personal reasons, or choosing to reduce your study load. To get the waiver, you’ll need to submit a Student visa application and include Form 1545 from your education provider.

Include the Fam You can include your family members—like your partner or dependent children (under 18 and unmarried)—in your Student visa application. Just make sure you declare them, even if they’re not coming with you to Australia. They can apply to join you later as subsequent entrants.

School Costs for Kids If your dependent children will be attending school here (public or private), make sure you’ve budgeted for their school fees.

Where to Apply You can apply for this visa whether you’re in Australia or outside. Just make sure you hold an eligible substantive visa if you’re applying from within Australia.

Packaged Courses If you’re taking more than one course, you’ll need a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for each one. We’ll look at your main course to determine what financial and English language evidence you’ll need to show. Keep course gaps under two months, unless one course ends at the end of the year and the next one starts at the beginning of the next academic year.

Processing Times Use the visa processing time tool to get an idea of how long it’ll take, but bear in mind it’s just a guide. Processing might take longer if your application isn’t filled out properly, if we need more info, or if we have to verify things. We also can’t process your application if you haven’t paid the right visa fee.

Your Responsibilities Once you’re in, you’ll need to follow all visa conditions and Aussie laws. See which visa conditions might apply to you.

Travel You’re free to travel in and out of Australia as much as you like while your visa is valid, but remember—the time spent outside Australia won’t extend your visa!