Student visas
Student Visa (500)
Full-time study at an Australian school, college or university, on a visa that runs for the length of your course. Enrolment comes first, and the application is built to the Genuine Student standard.
Requirements
What the 500 asks of you.
Your provider's risk rating and your passport nationality set the evidence tier. We assess yours before anything is lodged.
A confirmed course before you apply
Full-time enrolment in a registered course, with a Confirmation of Enrolment issued before the application can be lodged. Courses delivered mainly online do not qualify.
The Genuine Student requirement
Targeted questions about your circumstances, why you chose this course and provider, and what the study does for your future. Your answers and the evidence behind them carry the application, so we prepare them carefully and honestly.
English and financial capacity
The combined risk setting of your provider and your nationality decides how much you must prove. Streamlined applicants declare access to funds and meet their provider's English standard. Regular applicants evidence English to the Department and document funds from an acceptable source they genuinely control.
OSHC and the standard checks
Overseas Student Health Cover for your whole intended stay, plus the usual health and character requirements for everyone included in the application.
Family members and school-age students
A partner and children can be included in your application, and work limits apply to them as well. School-age students have their own age limits for each year level, need parental consent, and must have adequate welfare arrangements in place until they turn 18.
The pathway
How we run your 500.
Enrolment
Choose the course and provider with your pathway in mind, then secure your Confirmation of Enrolment.
Genuine Student preparation
We draft your GS responses with you and gather the evidence that backs every answer.
Decision-ready lodgement
English, financial, health cover and identity evidence assembled to your tier, lodged as one complete application.
Decision
The Department decides your application; if granted, you start your course clear on the conditions you carry.
General information only, not immigration advice. Your circumstances matter. Visa requirements, fees and processing times change regularly. Facts on this page last reviewed 15 July 2026. Check current details with the Department of Home Affairs , or speak with us for advice on your situation. Website terms.
Begin with a conversation.
Speak with a MARA-registered migration agent in Melbourne about your pathway. Book a time that suits you.