Student visa for Australia

There’s a way to study and work in Australia that works like a mathematical formula: get your student visa. Because once you have it, you can step on Australian territory legally and stay here for the duration of your course, whether it’s three months or five years. Plus, it allows you to work while studying, so once you’re here, you won’t have to touch a penny of your savings!

You are about to discover everything you’ve always wanted to know about one of the top visas on this side of the ocean. You can keep reading or fill out our contact form to receive personalized advice from a Dingoos Guide.

The requirements to obtain the student visa:

You need to meet a series of minimum requirements. But don’t worry, they are nothing out of the ordinary, and besides, at Dingoos, we will always be by your side to help you at every step:

• Enroll in an approved course (CRICOS): Not sure what to study? No problem! You will have a Dingoos Guide at your disposal to advise you on all your options, helping you discover what motivates you, and going for it together. Once you decide on the course, they will take care of the entire enrollment process with the sole aim of making things even easier for you.
• Have a Confirmation Of Enrollment (COE): The COE is a code associated with a course within an approved school, and you obtain it once you enroll in the school. At Dingoos, we also help you get it.
• Have a passport with a minimum validity of 6 months: If it’s expired or about to expire, no worries… it’s as easy as going one morning to renew it!
• Write and send a GTE letter: a kind of motivational letter in which you must explain the reasons why you are eager to study in Australia. Don’t worry about this; our team will also help you draft the letter to include everything necessary and in English that even Shakespeare would envy.
• Purchase OSHC health insurance: To get the visa, you’ll need health insurance covering the entire duration of your student visa. At Dingoos, we have agreements with the best insurance companies in the market and will help you get unbeatable OSHC insurance in terms of quality and price.
• Pay the student visa fee: this will vary depending on whether you come alone or as a couple. According to Australian government data in 2023, the costs of the student visa in Australia are:
  • Individual: $710 AUD
  • Couple: $1,240 AUD ($710 + $530 AUD)

Important note! Keep in mind that, depending on your nationality, the Australian government reserves the right to request additional requirements, such as proof of your financial funds or medical exams.

The student visa is applied for online through the official Immiaccount page of the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs.

Before applying for your student visa in Australia, make sure to meet all the requirements mentioned in the previous section and ask us any questions you may have. But really, whatever your case may be, don’t worry about anything because at Dingoos, we will not only help you gather and prepare all the necessary documents to apply for your visa, but we’ll go a step further. Many steps further! Our team of Visa Experts for Australia is certified to submit the visa application, so they will assist you with all the tedious paperwork, making sure your only concern is thinking about what you’ll see first when you receive your first paycheck, whether it’s Uluru or the Sydney Opera House.

Once you’ve contacted us, your Dingoos Guide will advise and accompany you throughout the process. They will help you develop a personalized study plan that fits your goals and budget.

First, we’ll help you choose the course you’re most excited about, and once you’re clear about it, we’ll assist you with all the enrollment procedures at the school by sending your Application Form and obtaining the Letter Of Offer that includes details about the course, duration, price, and personalized payment plan.

Once your enrollment in the school is confirmed, we’ll obtain the COE (Confirmation Of Enrollment), the official code that accredits a course for the student visa application, which, as you read a few lines above, is one of the essential requirements.

With the COE in your hands, your Dingoos Guide will connect you with one of our visa team members who will take care of all the paperwork involved in preparing your visa. This way, you only have to worry about thinking about how many swimsuits to pack.

To give you an overview and make the whole process even clearer, the following infographic illustrates all the steps: from contacting us to obtaining your visa. Because with drawings, things are even easier to understand!

Basically, almost anything you want, and you can even combine multiple courses, as we’ll tell you later. The key is to focus your strategy on getting the most out of the visa!

Because you see, here’s how it works: the validity of the visa is the time your studies last plus the associated holidays for each course. We help you design a study plan focused on obtaining the longest visa duration at the lowest possible cost, always looking for a plan that fits perfectly with your goals.

For example, if you are sure you want to come to Australia for an extended period (more than a year), it is advisable to enroll in several courses from the start. This way, you’ll save the money for the fees for the first student visa renewal ($700 AUD).

On the other hand, if you prefer to try your luck for a shorter period (for example, 6 months) and once you’re here, you decide to renew it, no problem: we can also help you with the paperwork for your visa renewal. Feel free to ask us; we’ll advise you for free and with no obligation!

This is what you can study with the student visa:

The question should be, what advantages does it not have? Because the truth is that everything is easy, especially when compared to other visas. Here are some examples:

• No age limit.
• It is the easiest visa to obtain.
• You can get it without proving your English level.
• You won’t have to “compete with others,” as is the case with the Work and Holiday Visa.
• You can work with a student visa in Australia to support your stay, unlike a tourist visa. With a student visa, you can combine your studies with part-time work and even increase it to full-time during vacations.
• Your partner can accompany you and also work part-time even if they are not a student.

The fee for the individual student visa (Student Visa subclass 500) is $710 AUD. In other words, about 434 euros, 1,881,688 Colombian pesos, 394,543 Chilean pesos, or 477 US dollars.

Visa fees are paid by credit card through the Australian Immigration Department’s ImmiAccount platform. Our Visa Experts will assist you during the student visa application process.

Depending on whether you are applying for an individual student visa, as a couple, or renewing your visa for the second time from within Australia, you should consider the following additional fees:

• Primary applicant fee: $710 AUD
• Dependent applicant fee (partner student visa): $530 AUD
• Fee for each dependent under 18: $175 AUD
• Surcharge of $700 AUD if it is the second time (or more) you are applying for a visa from within Australia without having left the country previously.

The Australian Immigration Department’s website provides average response times for student visa applications. Depending on the applicant’s nationality or the chosen course type (ELICOS = English; VET = vocational), response times may vary based on the following criteria:

• The Australian Immigration Department’s response to international student applications usually takes:
  • 13 days for 75% of applications
  • 28 days for 90% of applications
• For ELICOS (English courses) enrollees, response times typically range from:
  • 29 days for 75% of applications
  • 38 days for 90% of applications
• For VET (vocational courses) enrollees:
  • 42 days for 75% of applications
  • 76 days for 90% of applications