Generic Information about Student Visa 500 to Australia that Will Come in Handy

The student visa (subclass 500) allows a student to stay back in Australia for up to 5 years, for completing full-time study at any recognised educational institution in line with the enrolment and the purpose of the same.

What authority does this visa provide to the students?

With Student Visa 500, the student can:

• Participate in any eligible course of study
• Include his or her family members in the application and that may include the partner as well as the partner's dependent child.
• Apply online from within from outside Australia
• Work for up to 40 hours for every 2 weeks once the study course gets under the way

What is the eligibility for obtaining this visa?

To be eligible to get this visa,

• The applicant must be at least 6 years of age
• He or she must provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) at any full-time course that is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas
  Students, CRICOS
• The applicant must deliver evidence for his or her level of skills in Spoken, Written and communicative English
• The applicant and the members of his or her family must be covered by the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) form any approved and registered Australian provider of health insurance for the entire length of the study period in Australia.
• The applicant must meet the required health and character requirements

What is the mechanism of applying for a student Visa 500?

• If the applicant is outside Australia, the individual can apply for the visa at least 6 weeks prior to the onset of the course.

• In case the applicant is staying withi Australia, the individual gets a lot of time before the current visa expires as, the applicant might need additional time in case there is any complication while applying for the visa

• The applicant must use the document checklist tools that are available online and gather all the documents accordingly, completing the paperwork. However, the applicant must have the latest list, as these tools are updated twice - 31st March and 30th September of every year.

• The application can be done online from within or outside of Australia.

What are these Document Checklist Tools?

As the name suggests, these are online tools that contain a comprehensive list of all the documents that the applicant will need at the time of lodging the application. To access the appropriate document checklist, the user will have to enter the country of passport along with the name and details of the education provider.

In case the application is required to provide proof of English and the financial competency, it is imperative that supporting documents are attached along with the other documents at the time of application.

What is the general processing time?

The standard processing time for this particular Student Visa in Australia generally varies, depending upon the sector the applicant is applying for, and the time taken generally varies betwee 30 to 45 days in the Higher Education Sector and 45 to 80 days in case of Vocational Education and Training Sector.

Fees change from time to time and there are other formalities to be fulfilled. Thus, when it comes to applying for this or any other form of visa it is important to put stakes on seasoned and registered immigration specialists.