What is Subclass 500? Australian Student Visa

This type of visa is a permission by the Immigration Australia to study full-time in a recognized educational institute. You have to meet a few requirements for the visa acceptance. Otherwise, your visa appeal wouldn’t be considered.

Requirements:

For a guaranteed visa approval, you must have:

• Applied for and been accepted by a registered educational institute in Australia for a full-time course.
• Must meet the appropriate monetary arrangements for the duration of your intended stay in Australia. (Under 18 years old)

Visa Duration

Once your visa application is accepted, you can get three types of visas in terms of duration.

1. 10 Months +: This type of visa ends with the Australian academic year (November – December).
2. 10 Months +: This type of visa expires two months after the Australian academic year.
3. 10 Months or less: This type of visa is granted for one month longer than the course duration you’ve applied for.

Visa Cost

Visa cost for an Australian study visa for subclass 500 is different for the students who’re 18 years & older, and under 18. Though, there are base charges that remain constant for every age type. You may have to bear the cost of your police certificates, health assessments, and other required tests.

The base application fee is $550 for everyone.  Additional applicant charge: $410 for 18 years & older, and $135 for students under 18.

There’s a subsequent temporary application charge of $700 for all the students.

For a subclass 500 Post Graduate Research visa, there’s an additional $500 base application charge applicable.

Enrollment

To apply for a subclass 500 visa, you must be enrolled in a course of study registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Course for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

If you’re a foreigner, you must include Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) with your visa application. Otherwise, you may not be considered.

Certain cases when applicants of subclass 500 don’t need to provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) – those who’re outside Australia:

• Received sponsorship by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (Attach copy)
• Received sponsorship by the Australian Department of Defense (Attach copy)
• Required to remain in Australia to complete your thesis (Attach copy of letter from your educational provider)

If you’re in Australia, you only need to provide the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) along with your visa application.

English Language Test Score

To study in Australia, you need to provide evidence of your English proficiency to the Australian Government.

• IELTS: For a subclass 500 visa, the minimum test score is 5.5. You can be accepted with 5 bands in IELTS if you combine it with at least 10 weeks of English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). Also, 20 weeks of ELICOS combined with 4.5 bands in IELTS can also be considered.
• TOEFL: The minimum score for Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is 527. Just like IELTS, you can combine 10 weeks of E LICOS with 500 scores, and get accepted. Also, visa can be accepted if you combine 20 weeks of ELICOS with 450 scores.