Australian Student Visa Guide for International Students

Planning to study in Australia in 2026? There have been some important changes to the Student Visa process this year, and knowing what’s different could help you avoid costly mistakes before you apply.

The Genuine Student (GS) requirement replaced GTE on 23 March 2024. This changed how students need to explain their study plans and personal circumstances. From 1 July 2026, the Student Visa application fee increased to AUD $2,500 for the primary applicant.

There’s also a change in how some offshore applications are prioritised. Applications lodged from 14 November 2025 are assessed under Ministerial Direction 115, which introduced priority arrangements linked to education provider allocations.

This Australian Student Visa 2026 article covers the key requirements, current costs, financial capacity, GS criteria, English requirements, work rights and application steps.

What Is the Australian Student Visa (Subclass 500)?

Subclass 500 is the visa that allows international students to live in Australia and study full-time at an approved institution. It covers university degrees, vocational training, English courses and school enrolments; one visa for most study paths. 

Visas are generally granted for the length of your course. You can travel in and out of Australia while it’s valid, and you’re allowed to work limited hours alongside your studies.

What Can You Study in Australia?

The best field to study in Australia depends on your career goals; following are the options you can study in australia.

• English Language Intensive Courses (ELICOS)
• Vocational Education and Training (VET), Certificate III to Advanced Diploma
• Higher education, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
• Primary and secondary schools
• Packaged or pathway courses, such as an ELICOS course leading into a degree

Choosing the right course and provider matters early on because your choice of study needs to align with your previous education, work experience, and plans.

Who Needs an Australian Student Visa?

If you’re not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and plan to study full-time for more than three months, you need the Subclass 500, whether you’re applying from offshore or already in Australia on another visa.

Quick eligibility checklist:

• Enrolled in an eligible, CRICOS-registered course
• Hold a valid CoE
• Can meet the Genuine Student requirement
• Have, or can arrange, OSHC.
• Can demonstrate financial capacity where required
• Can meet English requirements where applicable
• Meet health and character requirements.
• Have valid identity documents

If you’re not sure whether your chosen course and circumstances line up with these requirements, it’s worth having your study plan reviewed before you apply rather than finding out partway through.

What Are the Australian Student Visa Requirements in 2026?

Here are the key Australian Student Visa requirements for 2026:

Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

Your CoE confirms your enrolment and is a required part of the Student Visa application; Home Affairs requires you to hold a valid CoE when your visa is decided. 

It’s a separate document from a letter of offer, so an offer alone won’t get your application through. Sorting out your course and enrolment properly before the visa stage saves a lot of back-and-forth later.

Genuine Student Requirement

Since 23 March 2024, the GS requirement has replaced the older GTE test. The GS section asks about your current circumstances, why you chose Australia and this specific course and provider, how the course benefits your future, and any other relevant information. 

If you’re already in Australia, or you’ve held a student visa before, you’ll typically be asked an extra question about your situation.

Each response is capped at 150 words, so there’s no room for padding. A strong response is specific and consistent with your other documents, tied to your actual education and career history rather than something that could belong to any student, in any course, anywhere.

English Language Requirements

English requirements depend on your circumstances and course type. If evidence is required, check the current Home Affairs requirements for the Subclass 500 as well as your education provider’s own admission requirements, since the two can differ; meeting one doesn’t automatically mean you’ve met the other.

Home Affairs updated the approved English tests and score settings on 7 August 2025. If you sat a test before that date, confirm whether your result is still valid for your specific visa stream before relying on it.

Financial Capacity and Family Members

The current financial capacity benchmark is roughly $29,710 a year for living costs, on top of tuition and travel, with additional amounts if you’re bringing a partner or dependent children. 

Where financial evidence is required, Home Affairs may accept deposits with a financial institution, loans, or government loans, depending on your circumstances.

Before you lodge, check that your funds are genuinely and consistently available rather than deposited shortly before applying, and that your documentation matches what you’ve declared elsewhere; a lot of applicant’s trip up simply by relying on an outdated figure or submitting statements that don’t cover the required period.

If you’re bringing a partner or dependent children, they can generally be included as secondary applicants, either alongside your application or as subsequent entrants later. 

Declare them in your Student Visa application even if they’re not planning to travel straight away; leaving them out can affect whether they’re able to join you down the track. Each family member needs their own OSHC and identity documentation.

How Much Does an Australian Student Visa Cost in 2026?

The base visa application charge is currently AUD $2,500 for the primary applicant, following the 1 July 2026 fee update, and it’s non-refundable no matter the outcome. 

Lower charges apply to some applicants, including certain ELICOS or non-award students and eligible Pacific Island or Timor-Leste passport holders, so check which category fits your situation.

The visa fee is only one line item, not your total cost. What else you’ll budget for depends on your circumstances:

Working out your real total before accepting a course offer helps you avoid an option that turns out to be well outside your budget.

How to Apply for a Student Visa in Australia

Step 1: Choose the right course and provider This shapes everything that follows, including your GS response and your budget.

Step 2: Apply to your education provider and accept your offer once you receive it.

Step 3: Receive your CoE, confirming your enrolment and enabling your visa application.

Step 4: Arrange your OSHC, which needs to be in place before your visa can be granted.

Step 5: Prepare your visa documents like passport, CoE, GS responses, OSHC policy, financial evidence, English results, and health or character documents.

Step 6: Lodge through your Immi account, uploading each document against the correct category.

Step 7: Complete health checks, biometrics, or additional requests from Home Affairs.

Step 8: Wait for your decision, and respond promptly if further information is requested.

What is the Processing Times and Work Rights While Studying

Processing Times

Visa processing times vary by course level, country of application, and how complete your documents are. Offshore applications lodged on or after 14 November 2025 are assessed under Ministerial Direction 115, which prioritises applications partly based on how each education provider is tracking against its allocation under the National Planning Level.

No consultant can guarantee a particular processing time or outcome. What preparing your application properly can do is cut down on the avoidable issues, like missing evidence or inconsistent information, that lead to a request for more information, usually what stretches the timeline out.

Work Rights

Once your course has started, you can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, subject to your visa conditions. Masters, Research and PhD students have no hour limit once their course begins.

Work rights help with day-to-day costs once you’re here, but they shouldn’t replace the financial planning your visa application already requires.

Common Reasons Student Visa Applications Are Refused

Applications tend to run into trouble when the information, evidence or study plan doesn’t hold together:

• Weak GS responses that read as generic rather than personal
• Inconsistent information across different parts of the application
• Missing documents, particularly financial or character evidence
• Unclear financial evidence, such as an unexplained recent deposit
• Course information that doesn’t match your CoE
• Not responding to a request from Home Affairs in time.

If you are refused, read the notification carefully; it will explain the reasons and whether you have a right to review, and the application charge generally isn’t refunded.

Before resubmitting anything, understand exactly what caused the refusal, because reapplying with the same gaps tends to get the same result.

Going through these areas before you submit in the first place gives you the chance to fix problems while you still can.

What Happens If Your Student Visa Is Approved or Refused?

Once your visa is granted, check your grant letter and conditions carefully, confirm your CoE details are still current, keep your OSHC active, and sort out accommodation and travel.

After you arrive, follow your provider’s enrolment and contact-information requirements, and keep your visa conditions in mind throughout your stay.

If you’re refused, read the notification carefully; it will explain the reasons and whether you have a right to review. The application charge generally isn’t refunded.

Before resubmitting anything, understand exactly what caused the refusal, because reapplying with the same gaps tends to get the same result.

Why Get Professional Help With an Australian Student Visa?

By now it’s probably clear a student visa isn’t a one-page form. Professional Student Visa support can help you work out which requirements apply to your situation, prepare your documents properly, put together a GS response that holds up, and submit an application that’s genuinely ready rather than rushed.

That usually means help choosing a course that makes sense for your background, checking your documents against what’s required, and a second set of eyes on the small inconsistencies that are easy to miss on your own.

HDF Education Australia supports international students through course selection, enrolment, and the Student Visa process, so students have one place to turn as they move from choosing a course to lodging their application. 

See our student visa eligibility checklist for more detail before you get in touch.

Get Help with Your Australian Student Visa Application

HDF Education Australia can help you move from choosing the right course to preparing and lodging your Australian Student Visa application, course selection, enrolment, CoE, GS preparation, documents, and everything in between.

If you’re planning to study in Australia and aren’t sure where to start, speak with HDF Education Australia about your course and Student Visa options, or book a free consultation to talk it through directly.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Can someone help me applying student visa?

Yes, HDF Education Australia assists with course selection, enrolment, and Student Visa applications, helping you prepare documents and your GS response properly before you lodge.

Can I change my course or provider on a Student Visa? 

Generally yes, though within your first six months you’ll usually need formal release from your current provider first, and any change must still meet your ongoing visa conditions.

Can I apply for a Student Visa while already in Australia? 

Often yes, but some visa holders, including certain Visitor and Temporary Graduate visa holders, generally can’t apply for a Student Visa onshore, check your specific visa first.

Does a Student Visa lead to permanent residency? 

Not directly. The Subclass 500 is a temporary study visa, though some graduates later go on to pursue separate skilled migration pathways using their Australian qualification.