Australian Student Visa Types Explained

If you want to pursue higher studies in Australia, you will be needing an Australian student visa. Being a dreamer, who aspire to be enrolled at one of the top Australian universities, you will most certainly be acquainted with the process of obtaining a student visa and all in all how daunting this can be.

In the year 2010, the government of Australia commissioned the student visa system report, which was in operation. The aim was to simplify the whole process of obtaining the student visa, the aim was achieved, however, for foreign students it is still confusing and cumbersome trying to piece together all the information and documents all by yourself. This blog from UniStride, a reputed Consultant for Study in Australia, will help you in understanding the Australian student visa types available for you.

Let’s start:

With all that is being said about the student visa and albeit the process has become simpler, it is arguably still muddying and the type depends upon your native country and the course you want to enrol yourself to. The Australian government has eight student subclasses, put in place to determine which visa is apt for you. The ones that suit most Indian students include:

English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS)

This student subclass directs to courses pertaining to the English language. This subclass either results in a certificate or do not lead to a formal Australian award.

Higher education

For students who want to study a graduate certificate, bachelor degree, graduate diploma, associate degree, masters by coursework, higher education diploma or advanced diploma, would be needing this student subclass. 

Postgraduate research

As the name suggests, this student subclass is meant for students who wish to study a doctoral or master’s degree such as Ph.D.

Non-award

Again, the name says it all, this subclass is relevant to those who want to study a course that won’t earn them an Australian award.

Student Guardians

There is a subclass available wherein if your parents or any other relative wants to join you in Australia while you study, there is a provision for them to apply for a visa. It is important that you think practically about this option, as it has both benefits and detriments attached to it.

Once you have found the just right type of visa that suits your needs, you need to move forward to next step, which is meeting their requirements. The visa requirements include – genuine temporary entrant requirement, documents proving financial capabilities, documents proving your language (obviously English) proficiency and finally proving that you will abide by the visa conditions. There might be some other condition that you need to fulfil and which are relevant to the assessment of your application. For first-hand information on all these points and conditions, it is best to browse through the Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship website. The website also has a clever tool that will help you in finding the best visa type for you. UniStride, a top-notch Consultant For Study In Australia, recommend you to take a look at this before filling out a form.