Student Visa

Australia’s student visa program has tightened significantly since 2024. The Genuine Student requirement has replaced the former Genuine Temporary Entrant statement, financial capacity evidence is subject to far closer scrutiny, and education providers are now subject to processing priorities that affect the speed at which applications are decided. A carefully prepared application matters more than it has at any previous point in the program.

# A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) issued by a CRICOS-registered provider for each course of study.

# The Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test on 23 March 2024. It is addressed within the application form rather than as a separate statement, and covers the applicant’s circumstances in their home country, the reasons for selecting the particular course and provider, the value of the course to the applicant’s future, and the applicant’s immigration history.

# Financial capacity — evidence of genuine access to funds covering twelve months of living costs, together with tuition and travel. The Department’s benchmark is AUD 29,710 for the primary applicant, AUD 10,394 for a partner and AUD 4,449 for each dependent child. Funds must demonstrate a credible history and a verifiable source. Sudden or unexplained deposits are a frequent cause of refusal.

# English language proficiency at the level required for the course of study.

# Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the full duration of the stay, imposed as condition 8501.

# Health and character requirements.

Work rights attach automatically once the course commences: 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks

1. Financial evidence that does not establish genuine access to funds, such as a single large deposit with no explanation of its source.

2. A course that does not follow logically from the applicant’s academic and employment history, with no explanation offered for the change of direction.

3. Generic Genuine Student responses that could have been submitted by any applicant.

4. Undisclosed previous visa refusals or immigration non-compliance.

5. A provider whose processing priority delays the application as a whole.

The Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa is the usual next step and, for many students, the bridge to skilled or employer-sponsored permanent residence. Age limits, English requirements and the period of stay granted differ according to qualification level, and the Subclass 485 application charge has increased twice during 2026. Where post-study migration forms part of a student’s longer-term plan,

the full pathway is best mapped before enrolment rather than after graduation.