Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500)

What Is Subclass 500?

The Student visa (subclass 500) lets a person stay in Australia for up to 6 years to study full time in a course registered on CRICOS, in line with their enrolment. The application is made online in ImmiAccount and costs from AUD2,500. The applicant must be at least 6 years old.

Students may work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session; master's by research and doctoral students have no work limit.

Who This Route Is For

The Student visa fits applicants who can document:

• A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for a course registered on CRICOS
• Answers to the genuine student questions, with supporting documents
• Money for the first 12 months, when the Document Checklist Tool asks for it
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the whole stay
• English, where it is asked for, and welfare arrangements if under 18

How a Subclass 500 Application Is Decided

A subclass 500 application is decided on the papers in ImmiAccount, usually without an interview. The officer checks that:

1. The CoE is valid and matches the application
2. OSHC covers the whole stay
3. English, financial capacity, health and character evidence is given where required
4. The genuine student answers and their supporting documents fit your circumstances and immigration history

The Document Checklist Tool on the department's website shows the documents each applicant should give, based on their passport country and education provider. Run it first.

Document Checklist

Visa Engine organizes subclass 500 readiness around these evidence areas:

1. Valid passport — valid for the stay, with details that match the application and the CoE
2. Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) — for each course, on CRICOS; a letter of offer is not enough
3. Genuine Student Statement — answers of up to 150 words each, in English, with supporting documents
4. Financial capacity — money for the first 12 months, when asked for
5. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) — for the whole stay
6. English language proficiency — a test taken within 2 years, where asked for; supporting
7. Welfare arrangements (under 18) — a guardian or a CAAW; supporting
8. Academic background — transcripts and certificates; supporting
9. Immigration history — earlier visas and any refusals; supporting

Process Overview

1. Get an offer from an education provider, accept it and pay the deposit it asks for.
2. Receive the CoE for each course; its code goes in the application.
3. Run the Document Checklist Tool to see which documents to give.
4. Take out OSHC for the whole stay, for yourself and any family members coming along.
5. Write the genuine student answers, in English, up to 150 words each.
6. Apply online in ImmiAccount and pay the fee, from AUD2,500.

Apply From Outside Australia

From 2 October 2026 new rules limit who can apply for, and be granted, a Student visa while in Australia. Most applicants must apply from outside Australia unless they are exempt. You must hold a valid CoE when the visa is decided, and each CoE must be for a course registered on CRICOS.

Family Members From 2 October 2026

From 2 October 2026 most applicants can no longer include family members in their application, and family members cannot be added after the visa is granted. Exceptions include students in a doctoral (PhD) course, students sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence, students on a foreign government scholarship, and some eligible students from Pacific and Southeast Asian countries. Where family members do come, each needs OSHC and the funds evidence covers them.

Students Under 18

An applicant under 18 must have appropriate welfare arrangements until they turn 18: a parent, legal custodian or relative over 21 who is of good character stays as guardian (Student Guardian visa, subclass 590, nominated with Form 157N), or the education provider issues a CAAW. The parents or custodians must consent.

Health, Character and Values

Applicants must meet the health requirement, which may include a medical examination or chest x-ray depending on the country and the length of stay, and the character requirement, which may need police certificates for applicants aged 16 and over. Applicants aged 18 and over sign the Australian Values Statement.

Common Refusal Reasons

• Not meeting the genuine student requirement: answers that are generic, copied or inconsistent with the course or the applicant's background, or a course that does not fit their study and work history.
• Funds that are not shown to be genuinely available, or that come from an unexplained source.
• Missing or short OSHC.
• An English result that is too old, too low or from an at-home test.
• An application made in Australia without an exemption, or without a valid CoE.
• An immigration history with unexplained refusals or overstays.

The department may ask for more information before deciding. Providing false or misleading information can lead to refusal and a ban on further visas.

Common Misconceptions

• "A letter of offer is enough." A valid CoE is needed when the visa is decided.
• "I can apply from inside Australia as before." From 2 October 2026 most applicants must apply from outside Australia unless exempt.
• "My family can join me later." Most students can no longer include family members, and they cannot be added after the grant.
• "Travel insurance covers me." OSHC is required, and travel insurance is not OSHC.
• "The same statement works for any course." The answers must fit this course, this provider and your own background.

Disclaimer

This guide is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, not a guarantee of a visa, and not a substitute for the official guidance of the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Rules, fees and document requirements change, so always verify current requirements on the official pages before you apply.