Visas

Applying for a student visa

When you study in Australia, you will need to get a student visa to cover the period in which you will be studying in Australia.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is responsible for issuing visas for entry to Australia.

Once you have accepted an offer to study at Monash in Australia, you will need to apply for a visa. You may only enter the country to study if this visa is approved.

Once you accept an offer to study at Monash and pay a deposit for the course, you will be issued with a Confirmation of Enrollment (eCoE) from Monash. You will use this eCoE to apply for a visa.

You can find out more about student visas (known as Subclass 500) from the Department of Home Affairs, while they also have a checklist to help you gather the documents you may need to apply for a student visa.

Please note that conditions for entry into Australia may change, and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) remains the best source of information about student visas.

Do I need to provide evidence of having met the English requirements at the time of lodgement of the visa?

All applicants are required to be able to meet the English language and financial requirements.

This means that even streamlined evidence students must have the capability to meet the English language requirement. DHA may choose to request evidence during the process, but you do not need to provide any test results up front or have sat the test before you apply.

Have the guidelines relating to disbursement of education loans changed?

The best way to demonstrate that you meet financial capability requirements is through the disbursement of a loan – but it is crucial that you be able to demonstrate that you can access funds from this loan.

This means that just having evidence that the loan has been made may not be enough.

What the DHA requires is ‘evidence of genuine access to finds’. The best way to do this is to make sure these funds are in an account you or a sponsor can access.

Work rights

One of the benefits of an Australian Student Visa is the ability to work part time while studying.  Check your visa conditions to find out the number of hours that you can work while you are in Australia.

When you have started your course of study in Australia, you can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight when your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.

The best source for information for work rights under a student visa is the Department of Home Affairs website.