Student Visa Australia

In 2007 – 08 student visa applications went up by over 20% while 280 000 student visa’s were granted by the Australian government, while student’s from nearly 200 countries made Australia home from anywhere between three months to six years while they finished their studies in a wide range of institutions from TAFE’s, to universities, secondary schools and vocational colleges.

So, Australia has a good reputation for producing high quality educational outcomes for international students who want to start their academic career in a professional environment that is rated alongside other developed countries in a favourable light.
OSHC

But there are a few things to take note of before book your trip out here. And one of those things is cost. It will cost you roughly $400 per week to live in Australia depending on where you live. And this is just the basics and does not include OSHC (Overseas Student Health Coverage) which is roughly $380 annually, travel expenses, and tuition fees that will most probably have to be paid before you start your course of study.
 

OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is compulsory for international students under Australian law and is a stipulation on your visa before you are allowed to enter the country.  And any lapse on the student’s behalf in paying OSHC fees can put their student visa in danger, although you are protected from this risk if you are a Swedish or Norwegian citizen because your government has a government to government agreement with Australia. The Australian federal government has a website that has details on this and other issues related to OSHC that you can access, although your AA Education Agent would be the best person to talk to about it.

ASSESSMENT LEVELS

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship assess students on the likelihood of them overstaying their visa period and becoming illegal immigrants by giving all students an assessment level that is in accordance with the risk of student’s from your country residing here permanently illegally. International students with the high assessment level (AL 5) will have to bring more documentation with them so they can prove the validity of their application. While students with an assessment level of (AL 1) will have to bring only what is required for a student visa that is appropriate to their particular needs. And to find out what your country’s assessment level is and what documentation you will need then you will have to contact the Australian Diplomatic Mission in your country to find out what you will need. Or you can contact your AA Education Agent and s/he will assist you with this process in a professional and aptmanner.


FULL TIME STUDY

Because you are an international student you do not have the opportunity to study part-time, but must remain in full-time study during the time you are here that has been allotted to you as a part of your student visa. So it would be difficult for you to earn some extra money while you are here. But remember that you can work full-time during semester breaks and most student visas allow international students the option of working 20 hours a week during the semester.  If your student visa belongs to the subclass 8105 then you have this option, but you will have to be enrolled in a course of study before hand. So contact your education provider to see if you have given them all of the appropriate documentation and you are in their registry system as a full-time student before you go job hunting for that part-time job. Also you would have to take into consideration whether you can work part-time and deal with a full-time study. So check with your
 education provider about how much coursework there is in your course of study and whether you can complete it to a satisfactory level while working on a part-time basis. Do not bite of more than you can chew, because time is money for international students and you do not want to waste money resitting coursework that you should have passed and now your visa is in peril of being terminated. So make an informed choice and if you can handle both than earn that extra cash to make your life a little bit better while you are studying in Australia during your academic career.


VISA SUBCLASSES

The most common visa subclass is the subclass 8105. But there are other subclasses that you may consider also, depending on your needs and your AA Education Agent can help you decide which subclass that is most applicable to your situation. If you are a student with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) or going to high school then you would apply for a visa under the subclass 8202. The stipulations for the 8202 subclass are that you must maintain a satisfactory attendance record during your course of study and progress according to the guidelines set down by your educational provider while you are studying in Australia.

While other conditions set down in different student visa subclasses are:
A student with the subclass 8501 must maintain adequate OSHC while they are in Australia.

Subclass 8516 states that you must continue to satisfy the requirements of your visa while you are a student in Australia and your course of study has to match the course of study fixed on your visa. Holders of a visa subclass 8516 also have to maintain a satisfactory standard of living and appropriate financial assistance so they do not have any undue financial hardship while they are completing their academic qualification in Australia.

Subclass 8517 is for students with school aged children who will be in the country for more than three months and the stipulations on subclass 8517 emphasise the need for adequate living arrangements to be found and maintained for those dependants while the parent’s are studying in Australia

While visa subclass 8532 is expressly for people under the age of 18 and also emphasises the continuation of suitable living arrangements, support and well being while they are in the country.  Subclass 8532 stipulates that the holder of the visa with this particular subclass must remain in the custody of a parent or guardian, or a relative over the age of 21 who is of good character. If the holder of the 8532 visa has no family member’s in Australia than they must make suitable arrangements that have been approved by their education provider that meet the requirements according to the visa for adequate housing, support and general well being while they are studying in Australia.

AA Education Network can help you with all of the issues related to getting the appropriate visas for your stay in Australia. And AA Education Agents can be contacted by email everyday, at any time during the day or night.