student visa in australia benefits
Student visas in Australia is available for all the international student who want to study in Australia for a short period. The visa can be obtained only if you have completed the required academic qualification from an applicable institution and also fulfill the health requirement.
Taking a Student VISA in Australia is considered as one of the many choices today’s globalized world has to offer when it comes to expanding your learning opportunities. The reason why you should take a student visa in Australia is to immerse yourself in an entirely new kind of culture and experience amazing sites that can help you understand this world even better.
If you’re applying for a student visa in Australia, you will have to get an offer of a place at an Australian educational institution first. The fact is, studying in another country is not like studying at home. There are nuances that you need to know about the schools and the courses you want to study to make sure you avoid all the mistakes they do when they’re undertaking International Studies, avoid finding yourself in an overpriced college or teaching school and generally save yourself the time and headache of sorting out everything on your own.
Student visa in Australia is a privilege given by the government of Australia to international students who wish to pursue their higher education in Australia. The visa helps students to obtain a permit that allows them to stay in the country for an extended period of time and study there.
Here are some benefits of student visa in Australia:
- Students can work part time during their course and earn money from it.
- Students can join any university or college they wish to pursue their studies at and get admission in that institute.
- Students can extend their stay for another year if they want it so or for as many times as they want it but there is a condition that they should have sufficient funds with them throughout the tenure of their stay in Australia.
Student Visa in Australia Benefits
Studying abroad can be an amazing opportunity that opens your eyes to the world and gives you a better understanding of how it works. But before you sign up for classes, there are a few things you need to know about student visas in Australia.
What is a Student Visa?
A student visa allows you to enter Australia to study at an accredited institution. Once you’ve been accepted into school, you can apply for a student visa through the Australian government website. You can also apply for other types of visas if you want to work while studying or if you plan on staying in Australia after graduation.
Who Can Get One?
To qualify for a student visa, applicants must be between 18 and 50 years old (or 55 if they’re applying from New Zealand), have no criminal history and meet certain academic requirements. If you’re applying from New Zealand, there are no age restrictions and no English language requirement—but there are still some other requirements that must be met by all applicants who wish to study abroad in Australia.
Studying in Australia is a great way to experience the unique ‘Aussie’ lifestyle while gaining great new skills. Australia has world class universities, practical vocational colleges and outstanding English language schools to support international students.
If you are looking to stay in Australia for an extended period of time, an Australian Student Visa is your best starting point. You can apply for a Student Visa by studying:
- English Courses (General English, IELTS preparation, Cambridge, etc.)
- Vocational Courses (Business, Marketing, Tourism, Sport & Fitness, Hospitality, etc.)
- University Courses (Bachelor’s Degree. Master and PhD)
Benefits of a Student Visa in Australia:
The Australian Student Visa has multiple benefits, aside from allowing you to study in Australia, with a number of underrated, unique features.
Work and Study at the same time
Feeling like you should be doing more with your time, or want to supplement your allowance? Unlike many other study destinations which strictly limit students to only studying in a country, the Australian student visa allows students to undertake part time work as they are studying, within set limits of course.
You are entitled to work 40 hours per fortnight (2 weeks) during your studies (average 20 hours per week) , and an unlimited hours of work during your schools breaks. Based on an average academic year where a student gets approximately a month on winter break and 3months of summer holidays – and coupled with Australia’s minimum wage laws – some casual work in the summer might add up to quite a tidy sum and help to significantly defray your cost of living.
Another unique feature of an Australian student visa is how it affords students the options of working after you graduate, barring having met a certain criteria of course. It’s the first step in getting a foot in the door to apply for extended stay in Australia, through formal employment.
Post study work arrangements are generally classified under 2 different schemes: The Graduate work stream and the post study work stream.
To quote the DIBP website:
- The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) allows graduates to work in Australia temporarily after they finish their studies. It has two streams: the Graduate Work stream and the Post-Study Work stream.
- The Graduate Work stream is for international students who graduate with skills and qualifications that relate to an occupation considered in demand in the Australian labour market, as indicated in the list of eligible skilled occupations. A visa in this stream is generally granted for 18 months.
- The Post-Study Work stream offers extended options for working in Australia to eligible graduates of a higher education degree. Under this stream, successful applicants are granted a visa with a visa period of two, three or four years’ duration, depending on the highest educational qualification they have obtained.
Include your dependants (a spouse, or your kids)
You can include your family members and/or your partner when lodging your student visa application (Family/ Dependants by definition refers to a family you have started, i.e. a spouse, de facto partner, or your own children, and does not apply in this case to relatives, your parents, etc.) Thus, your spouse and/or children will be able to join you in Australia as dependants on your student visa., and be accorded the same conditions that you get on your student visa. For instance, if you are studying at a Masters Level, your partner will even get full work rights for the duration of your visa.
FAQs and other features to note about the Australian Student Visa
- Duration of a Student Visa in Australia
For those who are new to the concept of student visas – it can last for any duration of time, but it is mostly pegged to the course duration of a program you have picked. So it can be as short as 6 months to as long as 5 to 6 years, depending on your course(s) of study. (The only exception to this would be for children of a certain age applying into an Australian government school – whereupon a visa would be granted for approximately 2 years of study)
Hence,
1) If you enrol for a 6-month Course, your student visa will be valid for 6 months
2) If you enrol for a 3-year Program, your student visa will be valid for 3 years
3) The program you choose must be between 12 and 52 weeks in order to be eligible for a student visa.
Depending on the length of your course, your visa will be granted with the following additional times once you finish your studies:
1) For courses below 10 months of duration, your visa will extended by 1 month extra.
2) For courses over the 10 month threshold, your visa will be extended by 2 extra months.
3) For courses over 10 months in which the term end date is December, your visa will be extended by 3 extra months
- Cost of a Student Visa in Australia
The current fees in order to apply for a student visa (Subclass 500) are set to $560 AUD. The price is always the same no matter the length of your studies.
Please note that this price may vary depending on the location where you apply for your student visa (Australia or onshore). The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has built a pricing estimator tool to help future applicants to quickly get a price overview of their visa application.
- Renewal of the Student Visa in Australia
You can renew your student visa as many times as you want, as long as you are enrolled in a course approved by CRICOS. However, you need to be advised that if you have had multiple student visas in the past, the Government may question the genuineness of your application.
Conclusion
Lastly, do know that you can get help and be supported in your student visa applications every step of the way. While IDP does not dispense migration advice (you’d have to see a migration agent for that!) we will assist you with that first step towards obtaining a student visa, for all our study destinations in UK, Australia and New Zealand.
