Last updated: September 27, 2026
2026 has brought unusual movement in Australia’s student visa rules. The application fee climbed to AUD 2,500, a cheaper tier appeared for English-only courses, and the government announced sweeping proposals on family members and course changes.
This guide covers the subclass 500 as it works right now: requirements, costs, and application steps in order. Every fee, rule, and date below is cross-checked against official Australian government pages or dated 2026 reporting from registered migration agents and major education providers. Where a rule is only proposed and not yet law, that is stated plainly, because confusing the two is exactly how applications go wrong.
Proposed vs in force: the September 2026 changes
On 17 September 2026, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced a package of migration reforms. Two proposals matter most: most new applicants could no longer attach partners or children, and changing course or provider would require a fresh visa application.
As of the date above, these are announcements, not law: implementation was expected to take around twelve months, and no commencement instrument had been published. The current rules remain in force, and this guide marks every affected section with its status. One reassurance: student visa places were not cut.
The requirements at a glance
Before the detail, here is the full checklist. You need:
- A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a CRICOS-registered education provider. A letter of offer is no longer enough.
- To satisfy the Genuine Student requirement, answered through written questions in the application form.
- Proof of financial capacity: at least AUD 29,710 per year for your living costs, plus first-year tuition, travel, and health cover.
- Adequate English. For the visa itself, that typically means IELTS 6.0 overall or an accepted equivalent, with lower scores possible alongside packaged English courses.
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your entire stay, arranged before the visa is granted.
- Health examinations, character checks, and biometrics where your country requires them.
- A valid passport and enrolment in a full-time registered course.
Each is explained below, with notes on what case officers examine.
The costs, and the money you must show
The application charge for a subclass 500 lodged on or after 1 July 2026 is AUD 2,500 for the main applicant. It is non-refundable: a refusal does not get it back. Students enrolling in standalone English (ELICOS) or other non-award courses pay a lower tier of AUD 2,050. Partners and children pay their own separate charges, which vary by circumstance, so confirm the exact figure on the Department of Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before you budget.
A realistic first-year budget looks like this:
| Expense | Typical amount (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Visa application charge | 2,500 (2,050 for ELICOS / non-award) |
| Living-cost proof (12 months) | 29,710 minimum. You must show this, not just spend it |
| First-year tuition | Varies widely by course. Use the figure on your CoE |
| Return travel | 2,000–3,000 |
| OSHC (single, 12 months) | Varies by provider and duration. Get quotes before lodging |
| Health examination | Varies by country and clinic |
| English test | Varies by test provider |
You must show genuine access to twelve months of funds, not just a balance on the day. Add AUD 10,394 per year for a partner, AUD 4,449 per child. For comparison, our Canada student visa guide covers the equivalent process there.
The number on the statement is only half the story. Case officers examine the source and the history of the money: a large deposit appearing a week before lodgement raises questions, and so does a loan without a clear paper trail. What reads well is consistency — income arriving over months, savings built over time, a sponsor whose occupation matches their earnings. Bank statements, loan letters, scholarship awards, and sponsor declarations all work, but the common thread in refusals is not missing money. It is a missing story about where the money came from.
Your CoE: the one document the application cannot live without
A Confirmation of Enrolment is an electronic record from your education provider confirming your place in a registered course. You cannot lodge a valid subclass 500 application without one. Since 1 January 2025, onshore applicants can no longer substitute a letter of offer: an application without a CoE is invalid, and no bridging visa can be granted.
To get a CoE you apply to the institution, accept the offer, and usually pay a tuition deposit. It lists your course, duration, and fees, and your visa’s length is built around it. Check the dates and the spelling of your name the moment it arrives: lodging with an expired or cancelled CoE invalidates the application.
The Genuine Student requirement
In March 2024 the old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test was replaced by the Genuine Student (GS) requirement. Instead of a separate written statement, you now answer targeted questions inside the application form itself. Many older guides still say “GTE”. That terminology is two years out of date.
The questions probe why you chose this course and provider, what research you did into alternatives (including study in your home country), how the course connects to your education and work history, and how it advances your career plans. Underneath it all, officers look for course progression: a coherent step up, not a sideways or backward move. A bachelor’s graduate moving to a master’s in a related field reads as logical. A master’s graduate enrolling in a diploma raises a flag.
Strong answers are specific: the subjects that matter to you, the roles the qualification leads to, the concrete reason for choosing Australia. Generic praise persuades no one, and contradictions between your answers and your documents are one of the most common refusal triggers.
English: the visa minimum vs the university minimum
The visa itself sets minimum English scores, and your test must be no more than two years old when you apply. The headline figure is IELTS 6.0 overall, with accepted equivalents including PTE Academic 50 and TOEFL iBT 64. Lower scores are accepted when packaged with English study: IELTS 5.5 alongside at least ten weeks of ELICOS, or IELTS 5.0 with at least twenty weeks.
Two cautions. Universities usually demand higher scores than the visa minimum, and admission and the visa are separate hurdles. Also, the list of accepted tests keeps growing — CELPIP General, LanguageCert Academic, and the Michigan English Test joined from 2025 — so check the current list on the Department of Home Affairs website rather than an agent’s old PDF.
Health cover that sets your visa’s length
Overseas Student Health Cover is mandatory for your entire stay and must be in place before the visa is granted. Buy it from an approved OSHC provider. Your institution can usually arrange this, or you can buy directly. The Study Australia site explains how the approved providers work.
The detail most applicants miss: your visa expiry is tied to your OSHC expiry. If your cover ends in February, your visa will not run past February. Make sure it covers your full course period plus the standard post-course stay, typically the course plus one to two months.
Health, character, and biometrics
Most applicants need a health examination by an approved panel physician. Start early: after creating your ImmiAccount you receive a HAP ID for booking, and results can take weeks to reach the department. Depending on your country, you may also need police clearances and biometrics (fingerprints and a photograph at a collection centre).
Applicants under eighteen face extra rules. The minimum age for a student visa is six, and under-18s need approved welfare arrangements in Australia, documented on Form 157N, unless they are travelling with a parent or legal custodian.
A note for applicants from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East
Most published guides are written for Indian applicants, but requirements, biometrics availability, and processing times all vary by passport. The Department’s online document checklist tool tailors the list to your nationality, so use it rather than copying a checklist meant for another country. Police clearances in some countries take months, so start them before you have the CoE. Processing is also consistently slower for several African and South Asian nationalities, which makes the twelve-week minimum below a floor, not a target. And never let an agent lodge false documents or invent employment history for you: fraud findings can bring multi-year bans, and “my agent did it” is not a defence the Department accepts.
Work rights while you study
Student visa holders work under condition 8105: up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. A fortnight means any fourteen-day period starting on a Monday, not your pay cycle.
Breaching the limit can lead to cancellation. The 48-hour rule replaced the old 40-hour cap in mid-2023, and the temporary pandemic-era exceptions have ended. Treat part-time work as a supplement, not the plan: case officers will not count future Australian earnings toward the AUD 29,710.
Applying, step by step
The order matters. Doing these out of sequence is how months get lost.
- Choose your course and provider. Confirm the provider is CRICOS-registered and the course is registered for international students.
- Apply to the institution, meet its entry requirements (its English score may exceed the visa minimum), accept the offer, and pay the deposit.
- Receive your CoE. Check the course dates, fees, and the spelling of your name immediately.
- Arrange OSHC for your full stay. Keep the policy details; you will enter them in the application.
- Sit your English test if you have not already, and assemble financial documents with a clear, seasoned paper trail.
- Create an ImmiAccount, complete the application, and answer the Genuine Student questions carefully.
- Take your HAP ID and book the health examination promptly.
- Upload every document, pay the AUD 2,500 fee, and lodge. Keep the transaction receipt.
- Complete biometrics if required, then wait. If the Department asks for more information, respond quickly: the deadlines are short.
Processing times and when to apply
Processing times are published monthly and vary by education sector and by month, so treat any figure as a snapshot. In recent releases, around half of Higher Education applications were decided within about two weeks and ninety percent inside seven months. Vocational (VET) applications ran considerably slower, with the median around seven months. Independent ELICOS and postgraduate research applications tend to be faster. Check the current global processing times before planning around these bands.
The practical rule: apply at least twelve weeks before your course starts, earlier for the February and July intakes. A late application that misses the start date can unravel the CoE, the OSHC, and the fee in one stroke.
Partners and children: the current rules
Right now, you can include your partner and your (or your partner’s) dependent children — unmarried and under eighteen — and family members can apply later as subsequent entrants. This remains the law as of the date above; the official subclass 500 page still says so.
The September 2026 proposal would end this for most new applicants (exceptions: PhD students, Pacific and ASEAN nationals, government-sponsored students). Families already in Australia would not be affected. Until it is enacted, the existing rules stand, but family-inclusive applicants should follow its progress closely.
After the grant: conditions, course changes, and the 485
A student visa comes with conditions: maintain enrolment in a full-time registered course, keep OSHC current, meet your provider’s course progress requirements, and notify the Department of address or circumstance changes. Dropping to part-time study or letting health cover lapse can end the visa.
Changing course or provider is currently possible with notification requirements, but the September 2026 package proposes requiring a new visa application for such changes (exceptions for extenuating circumstances), and only granting further student visas for study that moves up the qualification scale. Both are announced, not yet in force. Verify the current rule before changing anything: getting this wrong can leave you without a valid visa.
After graduation, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) lets many graduates live and work in Australia, commonly around eighteen months for vocational graduates and several years for degree holders. Its fee has risen sharply: doubled to AUD 4,600 in March 2026, then AUD 5,750 from 1 July 2026. Factor that into the long-term cost of the pathway, especially if permanent residence is the goal. Our guide to Australia’s points-tested skilled visas (189, 190, 491) explains the PR routes that typically follow.
If the visa is refused
A refusal stings twice: the AUD 2,500 fee is gone, and Australia collected roughly AUD 157 million in a single recent year from refused student-visa charges alone. For most offshore refusals there is no tribunal appeal. The realistic options are a fresh application that directly answers the refusal reasons, or, in limited onshore cases, the review rights in the refusal letter.
Before reapplying, get the refusal grounds in writing and answer each with new evidence. Most refusals trace to the Genuine Student requirement or financial capacity: a clearer study-to-career narrative, better-seasoned funds, a stronger course-progression argument. The same documents usually produce the same result, at another AUD 2,500.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to show for an Australian student visa?
At least AUD 29,710 for twelve months of living costs, plus first-year tuition, return travel (roughly AUD 2,000–3,000), and OSHC. Add AUD 10,394 per year for a partner, AUD 4,449 per child. You must show genuine access to the funds, and the money’s history matters as much as the total.
Can I include my spouse or children in my student visa application?
Yes, under current rules: partners and unmarried dependent children under eighteen can be included, or apply later as subsequent entrants. But the 17 September 2026 announcement intends to restrict this for most new applicants. The proposal is not yet law, so check the current status on the official subclass 500 page before relying on it.
How long does the student visa take to process?
It varies by sector and month. Recently, about half of Higher Education applications were decided within two weeks, while vocational applications averaged far longer. Apply at least twelve weeks before your course starts and check the latest published bands.
Can I work in Australia on a student visa?
Yes: up to 48 hours per fortnight during term and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, under condition 8105. Exceeding the limit can lead to cancellation.
Is the AUD 2,500 application fee refundable if my visa is refused?
No. The fee is non-refundable in almost all refusal cases, which is why a careful first application is worth far more than a rushed one.
Can I change my course after arriving in Australia?
Currently yes, with notification requirements. But a September 2026 proposal, not yet in force, would require a new visa application for course or provider changes and only allow further student visas for study moving up the qualification scale. Verify the current rule before changing anything.
