Navigating visas can be challenging. We have compiled our top tips for international students so that you can live, study and work in Australia legally and safely.
Student Visas: the basics
What are some of the conditions of my student visa?
Some of the mandatory conditions for students are:
- You cannot work more than 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session;
- You must maintain satisfactory attendance and progress in your course as required by your university;
- You must maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC);
- You must notify UNSW within 7 days if you change your residential address.
What if I need to extend my student visa to finish my program?
(Read this information in Chinese and Hindi)
If you need more time to complete your studies and your visa is expiring, you’ll need to apply for a new student visa. Student visas can’t be extended – once they expire you need a new one and need to go through the application process again.
You submit your application online through your IMMI account. If your student visa was handled though an agent you might not have an account. You can set one up through the website (https://online.immi.gov.au/lus... ).
Don’t wait until your student visa is about to expire. Legally while you can apply for a new student visa up to 28 days after your current student visa expires, we would never recommend that you do this. You should never be in Australia for any period of time without a current, valid visa.
Steps in applying for a new student visa
Get a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) before you apply for the visa. Make sure it has an end date after your official course completion date. Contact the UNSW International Office if you are a coursework student, and the Graduate Research School if a research student.
Prepare a Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement with your application. You may know this as a Statement of Purpose.
In your GTE statement, explain why you chose to come to Australia and UNSW. Write a little about how your UNSW degree is relevant to your future plans. If you’re a postgraduate student mention how your current degree relates to your previous study or expands on it. This should be straightforward if the postgraduate degree is in the same field as your earlier study, but if it is in a different field you can focus on how the degree helps your career interests or complements previous study.
Write about the connections you have to your home country. This can include mentioning family members and friends who live in that country, financial commitments you have (for instance, if you own property or have interests in a business) and if you have a job you will start when you return.
You can write about the type of work you would like to do in your country, the types of organisations you might work for and how your time in Australia has helped you. If you do have plans to stay in Australia after graduation, do not discuss those in your GTE statement. You need to show that you have a plan to depart Australia, not to remain.
Other important points:
You’ll need to pay the visa application charge when you submit your application.
You must continue to have OSHC health insurance for the period of your visa and your studies. Update your policy so it covers your new completion time. It's best to get OSHC coverage for at least a month beyond when your course finishes.
Most students don’t need another English test when applying for their new student visa.
You need to have sufficient funds to cover the tuition fees and living expenses for 12 months (or up to the end of your studies if they will take less than 12 months to complete).
Currently the annual minimum amount you need to show for living costs is $24505 for singles and $8574 for a partner or spouse. These can be in the form of savings, grants or a payment from a family member or student loans. Make sure you have proof of your financial circumstances and the source of your financial support/funding for your course, and upload documentary proof in your IMMI account if the online system asks you to do this.
Work and Visas
I know I am able to work 48 hours per fortnight but how is a fortnight calculated?
A fortnight means a period of 14 days commencing on any Monday and ending on the second following Sunday.
As an example of how the 48 hours per fortnight is calculated, imagine that a student had worked the following numbers of hours over a four week period:
- Week 1 - 15 hours work
- Week 2 - 30 hours work
- Week 3 - 30 hours work
- Week 4 - 10 hours work.
Can I volunteer whilst studying in Australia on a student visa? Does it count towards the 48 hours per fortnight that I am allowed to work?
Yes you can volunteer and the hours will not count towards your 48 hour per fortnight work limit as long as the volunteer work:
- is of benefit to the community
- is for a non-profit organisation
- would not otherwise be undertaken in return for wages by an Australian resident (that is, it is a designated volunteer position), and
- is genuinely voluntary (that is, no remuneration, either in cash or kind is received-board and lodging acceptable).
When can my visa be cancelled?
Your visa can only be cancelled for specified reasons: Where the visa granted on basis of incorrect information or false documents; Failure to comply with visa conditions and other grounds; Bad character or other public interest grounds; Committing an offence under the Migration Act 1958.
What does "bad character" mean?
The actions that lead to failing the character test are very serious. A person will be deemed to be of bad character where:
- They have a substantial criminal record (sentenced to jail for more than 12 months); or
- There is a significant risk to the community that they would:
- engage in criminal conduct; or
- harass, molest, intimidate or stalk another person in Australia; or
- engage in vilification or incite discord; or
- be a danger to the Australian community (by being violence or threatening harm).
What are some offences under Australian Immigration law?
These include:
- Working in breach of a visa condition;
- Presenting false documents or making false or misleading statements to an officer;
- Bringing non-citizens into or harbouring illegal entrants in Australia;
- Taking part in a marriage arranged to secure a visa.
Academic Progress and Visas
I have been suspended from UNSW. What happens to my visa status?
This usually results in cancellation of your student visa because satisfactory attendance and progress is a condition of your visa.
Students who do not comply with the conditions of their visa (for example, by failing too many courses) will receive a breach notice from the University. If this happens, you have 28 days to report to the Department of Immigration and make submissions about the breach and the circumstances that led to the breach.
Debt and Visas
I am an international student. What happens if I owe money to UNSW?
Students who owe money to the University will also be denied:
- graduation
- academic transcripts
- access to computer labs
- library services
I am in Australia on a student visa and owe money to a friend. Can this debt jeopardise my visa?
No it cannot. The only way personal debts can be enforced in NSW is through the civil court system. Personal debts have nothing to do with the police or with the immigration system. You cannot be sent to jail for non-payment of a debt or have your visa cancelled.
I owe money to my gym company. I have received a letter from a debt collector saying I will be reported to Immigration if I do not pay the money. Can they do this?
Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa
Brief fact sheets about this visa are available at the following links in Chinese and Hindi.
This is a very popular visa option for students looking to stay in Australia after graduation to gain professional work experience.
There are multiple 'streams' in this visa class. The majority of university students graduating with a bachelor, masters or higher degree will apply in the Post Study Work Stream.
For most students the Temporary Graduate visa is granted for two years for graduates with a bachelors degree, three years with a coursework or research masters degree and four years with a PhD or other doctoral degree. However, graduates with certain degrees in areas of skill shortage are eligible for a two year extension of their visa grant from 1 July 2023. To see if your degree is eligible, visit this website.
The 485 Temporary Graduate visa gives you full working rights while in Australia.
How to apply for this visa
Apply through your online IMMI account. You can set an account up through this website: https://online.immi.gov.au/lus...
What are the academic requirements for this visa?
You need to meet the Australian Study Requirement. This means that when you apply for the visa, you have completed a course or courses which have a total registered duration on CRICOS of at least 92 weeks (two academic years). This is the official duration of the degree. It usually isn’t the actual calendar time spent in classes and it is not the same as the number of units of credit in your degree.
You can meet the Australian Study Requirement with more than one course but you should get advice first before you apply for the visa if you applying with multiple courses.
You also need to have spent at least 16 calendar months physically studying in Australia, not including orientation. The 16 months starts from the first day of classes and ends when your course is officially completed - meaning when your exam and assessment results are released and the university has confirmed you have met the requirements for your degree.
What are the other requirements for this visa?
When you apply for the visa you must have:
- A letter of completion or Award Statement from the university and academic transcript
- An Australian Federal Police Check for yourself and any member of your family (spouse, partner and children) who is included in your visa application who is 16 years or older. These police checks must be less than 12 months old when you apply for the visa. Don’t use any other criminal records check. It must be from the AFP. You can get your AFP check/s directly by applying through the AFP website above. You don't need to pay anyone else to do this for you. When you apply for your AFP check, make sure you select 'Commonwealth purpose' and Option 33 - Immigration as the reason for your application.
- A letter and contract from a health insurance provider confirming you (and members of your family unit who will join you in Australia) have adequate arrangements for health insurance for this visa. This is different to your OSHC insurance. You need a new policy. This can be from your current insurer or a new one.
We recommend you use the official government private health insurance comparison website - https://www.privatehealth.gov.... to compare health insurance options. Remember that some very low cost policies won't cover you or your family members for visits to a general practitioner, so it is worth comparing policies before signing a contract.
You won't need to pay upfront for the whole policy. You'll pay either fortnightly or monthly.
- An English language test which is less than 3 years old when you apply UNLESS you hold a passport from the USA, UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada or New Zealand.
- Identity documents, travel documents and proof of address documents (such as a tenancy agreement). These should be originals or certified copies and scanned in colour if the originals are colour documents
- Some countries have a National Identity card system. If you have a passport from a country which has this, you will need to upload a copy of your national ID card. Your IMMI account will identify if you need to provide details of your national ID card.
- If you are adding family members, proof of your relationship such as a marriage certificate. Family members 16 years or older also need a police check, and all family must have health insurance coverage. NOTE: You will be asked if there are 'members of your family unit' being included with your visa, or non-accompanying (i.e. they are not joining you in Australia). This does NOT mean your parents, brothers, sisters or other relatives. It means your de facto partner or spouse and children.
When should I apply for this visa?
You can apply for the visa once you have officially completed your studies and you have all the necessary documents and evidence ready so you meet the visa requirements.
Please don't apply for this visa before you officially complete your university course and have been advised by the university that you have completed all course requirements. If you do that your application will be rejected and you will lose your application fee.
Very important:
You must hold a valid substantive visa (for example, a valid student visa) when you apply for the temporary graduate visa.
If you are interested in applying for the Temporary Graduate visa after you complete your studies and would like more detailed information, please watch this video presented by our staff.
General visa advice including student visas, temporary visas and permanent residency
I need advice about my visa or getting permanent residency. Who can I talk to?
Arc can provide general advice about your visa options through our legal service. We can generally provide guidance with student visas, temporary work (476 and 485) visas, Global Talent visas and Skilled Independent or Skilled Nominated visas.
Who can give me migration and visa advice?
Once you have decided on an advisor find out what costs are involved (you should get this in writing) and only sign an agreement with them once you understand all of the terms - it is very important that you know what they will do for you and how they charge fees.
Resources
UNSW International
www.international.unsw.edu.au/
International Student Advisors from International Student Experience Unit (ISEU)
Transport for NSW
EM Assist
Contact Estate Management for your unique code for accessing international travel concessions
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