Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500): How to Apply

Contents

The Australian student visa, officially the subclass 500, lets you live in Australia for the length of an enrolled course, work part time, and bring close family. The rules changed in ways older guides miss: the old genuine-temporary-entrant test is gone, the work-hour cap was rewritten, and the money you must prove went up. This guide sets out what the subclass 500 actually requires now, how the application works, and where people get refused, so you apply with the current rules rather than the ones from a few years ago.

What the subclass 500 is

One visa covers almost all full-time study in Australia, from school and English-language courses to vocational training and university degrees. To hold it you must stay enrolled in a course registered on CRICOS, the official register of courses for international students, and keep up attendance and progress. The visa runs for the duration of your study, usually up to five years, and lets a spouse or partner and dependent children come with you. The single document that starts everything is the Confirmation of Enrolment, the CoE, issued once a CRICOS provider accepts you and you accept the place.

The Genuine Student requirement

This is the biggest recent change and the part most stale guides get wrong. Australia scrapped the Genuine Temporary Entrant test and replaced it with the Genuine Student requirement. You answer set questions in writing, and a weak answer is now a leading reason for refusal. Your statement has to address:

Why Australia, this provider and this course, rather than a cheaper or closer option, in a way that holds together.
How the qualification fits your career, linking the course to realistic plans after you graduate.
Your circumstances at home, including ties that make sense of your decision to study abroad and return or move on lawfully.
That you understand the visa conditions, including the work-hour limit and the duty to stay enrolled.

The shift in name matters. The test no longer asks you to prove you will leave; it asks you to prove you are a real student making a coherent choice. Treat the statement as the heart of the application, not a formality.

The money you must prove

Australia raised the financial bar, and the figure is non-negotiable. You must show genuine access to living costs of at least AUD 29,710 for a year, on top of your first year of tuition and around AUD 2,000 to 2,500 for travel. Family members add to the total. The funds have to look real, held long enough to be credible or backed by a genuine sponsor with the income to support you, because money parked in an account days before applying invites a refusal.

Work rights: 48 hours a fortnight

Older guides still quote twenty hours a week. That number is out of date. On the subclass 500 you can now work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. The fortnightly framing matters because it lets you spread hours unevenly across two weeks rather than capping each week. A partner who comes with you on a postgraduate course can usually work too, sometimes without the cap, depending on your level of study.

Health cover is mandatory

You cannot hold the visa without Overseas Student Health Cover, the OSHC, and it must run from the day you arrive until the day the visa ends. It covers doctor visits, hospital treatment and ambulance services, and typically costs in the region of AUD 600 to 1,000 a year for a single student. Buy it before you lodge, because the policy dates feed straight into the application.

The application, step by step

Get the CoE. Apply to a CRICOS-registered provider, receive an offer, accept it and pay the required deposit to receive your Confirmation of Enrolment.
Meet the English requirement. Most applicants show an accepted English-language test score unless an exemption applies.
Arrange OSHC for the full visa period.
Prepare the evidence: the Genuine Student statement, proof of funds, academic records, identity documents and, where needed, parental consent for a minor.
Complete health and character checks, which can include a medical examination and police certificates depending on your country and course length.
Lodge online through ImmiAccount and pay the application charge, which rose to around AUD 2,000, then wait for processing, which varies widely by provider and country.

There is normally no in-person interview for a subclass 500; the case is decided on your documents and your written statement, so the paperwork carries the weight.

English and entry requirements

Beyond the money and the statement, two practical gates decide eligibility.

English proficiency. Most applicants prove their English with an accepted test such as IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or the Cambridge exam. The score your provider asks for depends on the course level, and a degree usually demands more than a foundation or English-language program. Exemptions exist, for example for citizens of certain countries or for students who have studied in English.
Academic entry. The CRICOS provider sets the academic bar for the course and issues the CoE only once you meet it. The visa decision then checks that the course makes sense for you, so a coherent academic path strengthens both the entry and the Genuine Student side.

Why some applications are processed faster

This is the part almost no guide explains, and it can decide whether your visa arrives in weeks or drags on for months. Australia caps total international student numbers, the National Planning Level, set at around 295,000 places, and shares that cap out among institutions. A ministerial direction then sorts applications into priority tiers by how full each institution’s allocation is:

Priority 1, fastest: the provider is below 80 percent of its allocated places.
Priority 2, middle: the provider sits between 80 and 115 percent of its allocation.
Priority 3, slowest: the provider has gone past 115 percent of its allocation.

The practical consequence is striking: two students with identical paperwork can wait very different lengths of time purely because of which institution they chose. Historically this priority also interacted with an Evidence Level, a risk rating tied to your country of citizenship, which set how much financial and English evidence you had to supply. Before you accept an offer, it is worth asking where the provider sits against its cap, because picking a Priority 1 institution can quietly be the difference between a fast approval and a long, anxious wait.

Staying compliant once you arrive

The visa comes with conditions, and breaking them can lead to cancellation, so they are worth knowing before you land.

Stay enrolled and progress. You must remain in a registered full-time course and maintain satisfactory attendance and academic progress.
Keep within the work cap. The 48-hours-a-fortnight limit during term is a visa condition, not a guideline, and exceeding it puts your visa at risk.
Hold OSHC for the whole stay. Letting your health cover lapse breaches the visa.
Keep your details current. You must tell your provider your address and any change within a short window, usually seven days, so they can reach you.
Mind school-age children. If your children come with you and are of school age, they generally have to be enrolled in school, which can carry fees.

Where applications get refused

A thin Genuine Student statement that reads as generic or copied, with no real link between the course and your future.
Funds that look arranged, deposited just before applying or unsupported by a credible sponsor.
A course that does not fit your history, such as a sharp, unexplained change of field or a step backwards in level.
Gaps in the file, missing OSHC, an incomplete CoE, or an English score that falls short.
Outdated assumptions, quoting the old twenty-hour rule or the former entrant test, which signals an application built on stale advice.

After the course

A subclass 500 is a study permit, not a settlement route, but it can lead to one. Many graduates move on to the Temporary Graduate visa to gain post-study work experience, which in turn can feed skilled-migration pathways. How a student route fits the longer journey is covered in our guide to visas and residency abroad, and the wider move in our guide to moving abroad.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours can I work on an Australian student visa?

Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. The old twenty-hours-a-week figure no longer applies. The fortnightly cap lets you spread the hours unevenly across the two weeks.

How much money do I need for an Australian student visa?

You must show genuine access to living costs of at least AUD 29,710 for a year, plus your first year of tuition and roughly AUD 2,000 to 2,500 for travel, with more for any family joining you. The funds must look credible, not deposited at the last moment.

What is the Genuine Student requirement?

It replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test. You answer set questions in writing, explaining why you chose Australia, this provider and this course, how the qualification fits your career, your circumstances at home, and your understanding of the visa conditions. A weak statement is a common reason for refusal.

Is there an interview for the Australian student visa?

Usually not. The subclass 500 is generally decided on your documents and your written Genuine Student statement rather than a face-to-face interview, which is why the quality of the paperwork matters so much.

Can my family come with me on a student visa?

Yes. A spouse or partner and dependent children can be included, and you must show extra funds to support them. A partner can usually work, sometimes without the fortnightly cap if you are studying at postgraduate level.

Why is my student visa taking so long?

Processing speed depends heavily on the institution you chose. Australia sorts applications into priority tiers by how full each provider’s allocation of student places is: providers below 80 percent of their cap are processed fastest, those over 115 percent slowest. Two identical applications can wait very different lengths of time because of the provider’s status, so it is worth checking before you accept an offer.