MARA Registered Migration Agents | MARN: 2518738, 2619480
The student visa subclass 500 lets you study full-time in Australia, work up to 48 hours a fortnight and stay for your whole course. Since 2 October 2026, most people must apply from outside Australia, and most can no longer bring family. Our MARA-registered migration agents check where you stand, then prepare and lodge your visa.
Not sure which side you fall on? That's what the consultation is for.
You get the right to study full-time in Australia, work part-time and stay for the length of your course (as at 28 October 2026, Home Affairs). One visa now covers every type of course. It replaced the older sector-based student visas in July 2016, as our guide to subclasses 572 to 576 and the subclass 500 explains.
Study at any university, TAFE, college, English school or high school listed on CRICOS, the official register of courses for overseas students. Before you accept an offer, our CRICOS code guide shows how to check that your course and provider are registered.
That limit applies while your course is in session. During course breaks, you can work unlimited hours, and master's by research and PhD students have no limit. Our guide on student work rights has examples, and our guide on how much international students can earn helps you plan your budget. Thinking of working for yourself instead? Read whether you can start a business on a student visa first.
Your visa runs in line with your enrollment, so a longer course gets a longer visa. To keep it, you must stay enrolled and keep up your attendance and progress under condition 8202. Our guide to what counts as a breach of condition 8202 explains where students slip up.
You can go home between semesters and return while your visa is valid, as long as you keep studying. Our guide on travelling home during semester breaks covers the timing.
Many graduates move to the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). Our student visa to PR guide explains the longer-term routes.
Want these rights for your own course? Find out if you qualify today.
Two rules changed. Most people must now apply from outside Australia, and most can no longer bring family. The Home Affairs Student visa changes page is the official source, and our student visa changes from 2 October 2026 explainer walks through every change in plain English.
You apply and wait for the decision from outside Australia. You can apply in Australia only if you hold an eligible visa and meet an exemption. Our guide to the onshore student visa changes covers this in detail.
You can include a partner or children only if you are studying a PhD, are sponsored by DFAT or Defence, hold a fully funded foreign government scholarship, are a Pacific or ASEAN national, or your family is already on your current student visa. Your family cannot join you later as subsequent entrants in any case. Our subclass 500 dependent visa guide explains each group, and our guide on bringing your family to Australia on a student visa looks at the options for families.
If you already hold a student visa, you can apply again in Australia only in these cases (as at 28 October 2026):
| Exemption | What it means |
|---|---|
| Finishing your course | You need up to 12 more months to finish with the same provider. |
| Sponsored student | You are sponsored by DFAT or the Department of Defence. |
| PhD | You are enrolled in a Doctoral degree. A master's by research does not count. |
| School student | You are enrolled in primary or secondary school. |
| Moving up a level | You completed your main course and are moving to a higher-level course, higher education to higher education only, in the next intake. |
| Provider default | Your provider closed or could not deliver your course. |
If you are moving up a level, you can enrol in one future course only. Packaged courses are not allowed, except for school, provider default and PhD students. Family members on your visa cannot switch to a main student visa in Australia.
You cannot apply in Australia if you hold a subclass 400, 403 (domestic worker), 407, 408, 417, 457, 462, 482, 485, 600, 601, 602, 651, 771, 988 or 995 visa. That includes the Visitor visa (subclass 600) and working holiday visas. If you apply anyway, the application is invalid, you get no bridging visa, and it cannot be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
Your application is assessed under the rules in place when you lodged it, including any family members you included. Our student dependent visa processing time guide covers those applications.
| Who or what | Amount for 12 months |
|---|---|
| Student living costs | AUD 29,710 |
| Partner living costs (only if family is allowed) | AUD 10,394 |
| Each child's living costs | AUD 4,449 |
| School costs for each school-age child | At least AUD 13,502 |
| Course fees | First 12 months, less any amount already covered |
Your parents or partner earned at least AUD 87,856 in the 12 months before you apply, or AUD 102,500 with your family. Use official tax documents.
Bank deposits, loans or scholarships. Use recent statements that show where the money came from.
Large deposits with no explanation are one of the most common problems we see. Show the source, such as a property sale, a loan letter or salary records, and the issue goes away.
Attach your Confirmation of Enrolment when you apply. Without it, the Department cannot process your visa, and it must stay valid until the decision. See how to get a CoE.
You answer questions in the form, up to 150 words each, on your situation, your course and your plans. Explain any study gap or course change, with proof. Read our Genuine Student guide and study gap guide. The Department may also ask you to attend an interview about your plans, so practise with our student visa interview questions and answers.
Whether you need a test depends on your passport and your provider.
Savings or income, as set out in the section above.
Hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from start to finish, with no gaps when you change insurer.
Complete health examinations and provide police certificates when the Department asks.
You must be at least 6 years old. Students under 18 need approved welfare arrangements, such as a provider's CAAW letter or a parent or relative as guardian.
Pay back anything you owe, or agree to a repayment plan, before you apply.
Outside Australia, unless you hold an eligible visa and meet an exemption. See what changed on 2 October 2026.
These are the lowest scores Home Affairs accepts (as at 28 October 2026):
| Test | Main course only | With 10+ weeks of ELICOS or a Foundation program | With 20+ weeks of ELICOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| PTE Academic | 50 | 42 | 36 |
| TOEFL iBT | 64 | 46 | 35 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 169 | 162 | 154 |
| OET | B in each part | B in each part | B in each part |
ELICOS means English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students. Online and at-home tests are not accepted, and TOEFL iBT tests from 21 January 2026 must be the "for Australia" version. UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland passport holders don't need a test.
Not sure you clear all nine? Our MARA-registered agents (MARN 2518738) check your profile before you spend money on tests or documents.
Make sure every passport is valid. If you use an agent, check them on the MARA public register.
Identity, CoE, Genuine Student papers, English results, evidence, OSHC and, if under 18, welfare papers with Form 1229. Our student visa document checklist lists each one. Translate documents through a NAATI-accredited translator.
Complete the form in ImmiAccount, attach everything and pay the charge. The Department can decide without asking for more, so send a complete application.
Reply to requests on time, attend biometrics within 14 days if asked, and keep your CoE valid. If it is cancelled, read what to do after a CoE cancellation.
A grant letter shows your conditions and expiry date; the visa is linked to your passport. A refusal letter gives reasons and any review rights. The charge is not refunded.
| Applicant | Visa application charge |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | AUD 2,500 |
| Each family member aged 18 or over | AUD 1,530 |
| Each family member under 18 | AUD 500 |
Budget beyond that for health checks, police certificates, biometrics and OSHC. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island, Timor-Leste and ASEAN citizens, and to Independent ELICOS and Non-Award students. Charges are reviewed each year, so confirm the figure before you apply.
Half of higher education applications are decided within 16 days, and 90% within 4 months (as at 29 September 2026, Home Affairs processing time guide).
| Course type | 50% decided within | 90% decided within |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Education | 16 days | 4 months |
| Vocational Education and Training (VET) | 53 days | 7 months |
| Schools | 28 days | 7 months |
| Independent ELICOS | 22 days | 53 days |
| Postgraduate Research | 17 days | 55 days |
| Foreign Affairs or Defence | 3 days | 22 days |
Applications made outside Australia from 14 November 2025 are handled under Ministerial Direction 115. Missing papers and slow replies add time, so a complete file is the fastest file.
Most refusals we review trace back to one of four problems, and each one can be fixed before you apply.
No CoE attached, an online English test, or an application made in Australia without an exemption. Check all three before you pay the charge.
Copied answers, or a gap or course change left unexplained. Write about your own situation and back every claim with a document.
Unexplained deposits or loans that can't be verified. Show where every large amount came from, with an official lender's letter for any loan.
OSHC that ended early, or a break when changing insurers. Match your cover to your full stay.
Our guide to student visa rejection reasons covers each one in more detail.
Our MARA-registered migration agents (MARN 2518738 and 2619480) have helped students for 7+ years, from our Melbourne and Harris Park offices and online. You can check both numbers on the MARA public register.
We confirm whether you can apply in Australia, or plan your dates if you must apply from outside. Already studying? See our student visa extension page.
We help you explain your plans, gaps and course changes clearly, with documents that back every point.
We review your money, English and OSHC evidence so problems are fixed before the Department sees them.
From the first check to the decision, we lodge for you and answer Department requests on time.
No. Visitor visa holders (subclasses 600, 601 and 651) cannot apply for a student visa in Australia. You must apply from outside Australia and wait for the decision there. Our guide on changing a tourist visa to a student visa explains your options.
There is no extension. You apply for a new student visa, and most students must now do that from outside Australia. See our student visa extension page to check whether you can still apply in Australia.
Yes, if you are under 18. A parent, or a relative aged 21 or over, can apply for the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590). From 2 October 2026, this visa also follows the apply-from-outside-Australia rule, so plan both applications together.
IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced and OET are among the approved tests, taken at a test centre. Online and at-home versions are not accepted. The minimum scores are in requirement 3 above.
Read the refusal letter for the reasons and any review deadline. If your application was valid and made in Australia, you may be able to ask the ART to review it. An invalid application cannot be reviewed. Our refusal review guide explains Tribunal timeframes.
No, you can apply yourself. If you use help, the person must be a registered migration agent, a lawyer or an exempt person. A registered agent is most useful when you are in Australia, have a past refusal or need to explain a gap.
The student visa subclass 500 is still the way to study in Australia. Since 2 October 2026, the two questions to settle first are where you apply from and whether family can come. If you would like a registered agent to check both before you accept an offer, our MARA-registered agents (MARN 2518738 and 2619480) can help.
