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Student visa applications prepared to pass the Genuine Student test.
The subclass 500 Student visa is our largest practice area. From course and provider selection to the Genuine Student statement, financial evidence and lodgement, we prepare applications for students in Australia and overseas, with particular experience in the Indian, Filipino and Papua New Guinean markets.
Who we help with student visas
Student visa refusals have risen sharply since the Genuine Student requirement replaced the old genuine temporary entrant test. The difference is in the preparation.
I am overseas and want to study in Australia
We help you choose a course and provider that make sense for your background and career, then prepare a Genuine Student statement that answers the questions the Department actually asks, with evidence attached.
I am in Australia and need a further student visa
Course changes, a new qualification level and onshore lodgement each raise their own issues, including the lodgement order rules. We manage the transition so you stay lawful.
My student visa was refused
A refusal is not the end, but the reasons must be addressed head on. We review the decision record and advise whether to reapply, seek review at the Administrative Review Tribunal, or change course.
Four parts, each assessed
A student visa is decided on the Genuine Student requirement, financial capacity, English and the rest of the criteria together. A weakness in one is rarely rescued by strength in another.
Genuine Student requirement
Since 23 March 2024 the Department assesses whether you genuinely intend to study, considering your circumstances at home, your immigration history, your circumstances in Australia and the value of the course to your future.
- Four written questions answered in your own words
- A supporting statement with research on the course, the provider and alternatives
- Evidence of ties, career plans and how the course fits them
Financial capacity
The amount is cumulative. You must show genuine access to twelve months of living costs for yourself and for every family member included in the application, the first annual course fee, school costs for each school-age child, and travel costs for everyone.
- Living costs are calculated pro rata if your stay is shorter than 12 months
- Course fees already prepaid and recorded on the CoE are deducted
- Bank statements, loans, sponsor income and assets, with the source of the funds explained
- Funds must be genuinely available to you, not deposited shortly before lodgement
- An alternative route is the specified gross annual income of your spouse, de facto partner or parents
English, health and insurance
An accepted English test at the level for your course, a health examination, and Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole visa period.
- Test scores vary with the course and any ELICOS packaging
- OSHC must cover every applicant for the full period
- Health examinations may be required before decision
Conditions after grant
Enrolment, attendance and course progress, work limits, and telling the Department when things change.
- Condition 8202: stay enrolled and meet course requirements
- Condition 8105: work up to 48 hours per fortnight in session
- Condition 8501: keep OSHC; condition 8533: keep the Department informed
How much money you have to show
The financial capacity requirement is cumulative, not a single figure. You add twelve months of living costs for yourself and for every family member included in the application, the first annual course fee, the school costs for each school-age child, and the travel costs for everyone. The living cost and school cost amounts below are those specified in the legislative instrument, whose current version has applied since 10 May 2024.
| What you must evidence | Amount | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Living costs, you (12 months) | AUD 29,710 | The twelve months begin on your expected arrival if you apply offshore, or on the expected grant date if you apply in Australia. A shorter stay is calculated pro rata. Prepaid formal boarding or homestay fees can be deducted. |
| Living costs, spouse or de facto partner (12 months) | AUD 10,394 | Only where your partner is included in the application or applies later as a subsequent entrant. |
| Living costs, each dependent child (12 months) | AUD 4,449 | Only where the child is included in the application or applies later. |
| School costs, each school-age dependant (12 months) | AUD 13,502 | A set amount, not the school's actual fees. Children of PhD students and of Commonwealth scholarship holders enrolled in an Australian government school are exempt. A child who turns five during the year is counted pro rata. |
| Course fees | Your first annual course fee | Taken from the Confirmation of Enrolment or offer letter. Any amount the provider records on the CoE as prepaid is deducted. |
| Travel costs, applying outside Australia | AUD 2,000 per person | Higher amounts apply for some regions, currently AUD 2,500 for East and Southern Africa and AUD 3,000 for West Africa. Counted for every family member included. |
| Travel costs, applying in Australia | AUD 1,000 per person | Higher for applicants who would return to Africa. |
| Alternative: annual income | AUD 87,856, or AUD 102,500 with family members | Instead of the funds above, the gross personal income of your spouse or de facto partner, or of your parents, shown in official government documentation issued in the twelve months before you apply. |
Two worked examples. A single student applying offshore with a first year course fee of AUD 35,000 must evidence AUD 29,710 plus AUD 35,000 plus AUD 2,000, a total of AUD 66,710. The same student bringing a partner and one school-age child must evidence AUD 29,710 plus AUD 10,394 plus AUD 4,449 plus AUD 13,502 plus AUD 35,000 plus AUD 6,000 in travel costs, a total of AUD 99,055. Health cover and airfares beyond the travel cost amount are not part of the living cost figure and are paid separately. The amounts above are those in force under the legislative instrument as at 1 September 2026, and they are confirmed for your matter before lodgement. Showing the minimum is not the same as satisfying the case officer: the source, history and genuine availability of the funds are assessed as well. Concessional charges for Pacific and Timor-Leste passport holders. Nationals of Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu pay a reduced visa application charge on this visa. We do not publish the concessional amounts here, because they depend on your passport and they change. The Department's own visa pricing estimator will give you the exact figure for your circumstances in under a minute. Not every Pacific country is included: as at 17 September 2026 the Cook Islands, Niue, New Caledonia and French Polynesia are not, and pay the standard charge. A separate concession applies to the Student visa for nationals of the ten ASEAN member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As at 17 September 2026 it applies to the subclass 500 only. It does not extend to the subclass 590 Student Guardian visa or to the subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa. Use the estimator above for your figure.
The criteria in plain English
Every one of these is assessed on evidence. We build the file so that each is answered before the case officer asks.
- A Confirmation of Enrolment in a registered course with a CRICOS-registered provider
- Satisfy the Genuine Student requirement under clause 500.212 and Ministerial Direction No. 106
- Financial capacity, added together: twelve months of living costs for you and each included family member, the first annual course fee, school costs for each school-age child, and travel costs for everyone, or the specified annual income of a spouse, de facto partner or parents
- English language ability at the level required for your course, or an exemption
- Overseas Student Health Cover for the full period of the visa
- Health and character requirements, and for applicants under 18, welfare arrangements
- A genuine intention to comply with visa conditions, shown through your immigration history and your plans
The law we apply
Clause 500.212 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) is the genuine applicant criterion.
Ministerial Direction No. 106 (commenced 23 March 2024, current) sets out how the genuine entry and stay requirements are assessed. Direction No. 108 was its predecessor and applied to applications made before 23 March 2024.
Ministerial Direction No. 115 (commenced 14 November 2025, current) sets the order for considering offshore subclass 500 applications by provider tier.
The funds you must evidence are set by clause 500.214 of Schedule 2 and the Migration (LIN 19/198: Evidence of financial capacity) Instrument 2019, whose current compilation has been in force since 10 May 2024. Travel cost amounts are set by departmental policy rather than the instrument. Figures checked 1 September 2026 and confirmed with you at the time of advice.
How we prepare a student visa
Every matter runs under a written agreement that sets out the work and the fee before anything begins.
Course and provider
We test your course choice against your background and career plan, because that logic is what the Genuine Student assessment turns on.
Evidence gathering
You receive our evidence checklist: research on alternatives, financial documents, employment and family ties, and immigration history.
Genuine Student statement
We prepare your statement in your own voice, with sources cited, financial tables and a section that addresses the concerns a case officer would raise for your profile.
Lodgement and follow-up
We lodge, respond to any request for further information and advise on conditions, work rights and your next visa once you are here.
Why student visas are refused
These are the issues that most often decide this visa. We raise them with you at the first consultation, not after lodgement.
Course does not fit the history
A change of field, a step down in qualification level or a long study gap without explanation is the most common Genuine Student refusal reason.
Funds that appear overnight
Large recent deposits, unexplained sources and sponsors with no documented relationship undermine financial capacity even when the balance is enough.
Generic statements
Template statements are recognised instantly. The Department expects specific research, specific plans and specific evidence.
Immigration history
Previous refusals, overstays or repeated visitor visas must be declared and explained. Silence is treated as concealment.
Student visa questions
How much money do I need to show for a student visa?
Can I work on a student visa?
Can I bring my family?
What happens when my course finishes?
Does wanting permanent residence later count against me?
How long does a student visa take?
Start your student visa the right way
Send us your course offer, your academic history and your plan, and we will tell you candidly how the Genuine Student requirement applies to you and what evidence will carry the application.
The information on this page is general in nature, current as at 1 September 2026, and does not take account of your individual circumstances. It is not immigration assistance or legal advice. Visa criteria, charges, thresholds and processing priorities change; the requirements that apply to your matter are confirmed at the time of advice under a written agreement. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome. Migration Star, Registered Migration Agents, MARN 1797395.