Studying in Australia is a great way to experience the unique Aussie lifestyle. Besides, Australia has world-class universities, practical vocational colleges, and outstanding English language schools to support international students. If you are planning to study in Australia, you will need to apply for an Australia study visa (subclass 500). Before applying for an Australia study visa, all students are required to be accepted and approved by their school or program. Once accepted, educational institutions will provide each applicant with the necessary approval documentation that has to be submitted while applying for a student visa. Here is the list of entry requirements that you will need to meet for an Australia study visa application:
- Financial requirements
- English proficiency requirements
- Overseas student health insurance
- Academic requirements
- Health (medical) requirements
- Character certificate
The following steps outline the process of applying for an australia study visa:
- Submitting your application to the institution
- Receiving and accepting the letter of offer
- Receiving the electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE)
- Applying for your Australia study visa
Documents Required for Australia study visa
- Proof of your identity attached along with a valid passport
- Completed Australian student visa application form (157A)
- Copy of resume/CV
- Application fees receipt
- Certificate of Enrollment or Letter of Offer
- Certified or notarized copies of evidence of sufficient funds
- Certified or notarized copies of health insurance cover
- Certified or notarized copies of scores of English proficiency test results
- Certified or notarized copies of certificates of qualification
- Criminal record check results
- Four recent passport-sized photographs
All certified or notarized copies of documents/ transcripts of results should clearly state:
- Your full name
- Name of the institution
- Course title
- Confirmation of the award
How Long Can International Student Stay in Australia after Graduation
After graduation there are several options available for international students; you can either decide to stay in Australia or head home. You can choose to continue your studies in Australia by pursuing a higher-level qualification or another field of study. You are also eligible to undertake post-study work to put your newly gained knowledge to use and gain work experience in Australia. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection of Australia provides Temporary Graduate Visa or subclass 485 for international students to remain in the country after graduation for up to 18 months to travel, gain work experience, or improve their English language skills.
Complete further studies
Many international students choose to stay in Australia after graduation for further studies or to gain a higher qualification. Continuing your studies will enable you to maximize your time in Australia and gain more advanced qualifications and skills that will assist you in gaining employment. You can choose to continue studying at your current institution or move to a different institution for a new experience.
If you wish to continue your studies in Australia, you will need to do the following:
- You need to submit an application for a new student visa to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection before your current visa expires
- Ensure you have enough money to continue paying for your studies and living expenses
- You need to extend your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
- You need to apply for your chosen course by the deadline
Return to Your Home Country
If you do not wish to travel, live, or work in Australia after you complete your graduation and are planning to return to your home country, here are some steps to consider:
- After years of living in Australia, it can be difficult to pack everything up and ship the goods back home; you might also have to sell any large items that you can’t take home with you
- You will need to pay final bills and cancel the services such as electricity, bank accounts, and your mobile phone account
- Ensure that you end your lease, hand back the keys, and claim the security bond back from your rental accommodation
- Join relevant alumni organizations
Extend your stay in Australia
If you don’t plan on completing further studies, you can still extend your time in Australia either to work or travel. There is a range of other temporary Australia study visa options that you can apply for if you intend to work or travel after your studies. You can extend your stay for the following reasons:
- Travel: After course completion, many students plan for a break before they return home or start looking for a full-time job. A tourist visa would be a good option if you want to spend some time exploring the country. This will let you stay in the country for a period of up to 3, 6, or 12 months. If you are planning to work in order to fund your travel, then you will need to apply for a Working Holiday visa.
- Attend graduation ceremony: Those wishing to stay in Australia to attend their Australian graduation ceremony can apply for a tourist visa to extend their stay.
- The working holiday: People between the ages of 18 and 30 from approved countries can apply for a Working Holiday visa or a Work and Holiday visa, both of which allow you to work and travel at the same time in Australia for up to 12 months.
- Continue working for your current employer: If you wish to continue working with your current employer and if they are willing to sponsor you either temporarily or permanently, you will able to work in Australia for as long as you work for that employer.
Post-Work Australia study visa 2019
In Australia, post-study work arrangements are covered under the Temporary Graduate visa or subclass 485, It has two streams: the graduate workstream and the post-study workstream. The graduate workstream is the same as the Skilled Graduate Australia study visa (subclass 485). It is for international students who graduate with skills and qualifications that relate to an occupation. Under this stream, successful applicants are granted a visa of 18 months. The post-study work stream offers eligible graduates several options for working in Australia. Under this stream, successful applicants are granted an Australia study visa of two, three, or four years duration, depending on the highest educational qualification they have obtained. If you have a bachelor’s degree, you are eligible to stay in Australia for two years; if you have a master’s degree, you are eligible to stay for two or three years and if you hold a doctorate degree, you are eligible to stay for four years.
Permanent Residency in Australia for International Students 2019
An Australian permanent resident is a noncitizen who holds a permanent Australia study visa. These residents can live, work, and study in Australia without any restriction and are given most of the rights and entitlements of Australian citizens. Permanent residents also have access to benefits such as Medicare and the Australian Government’s national health scheme. The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) also allows students to defer the cost of their tertiary education tuition fees which is only available to Australian citizens.
Benefits of PR in Australia:
- You can stay and work in Australia
- You can leave and enter Australia frequently for the first five years. After that, it can be renewed if you meet the criteria
- You can apply for citizenship after spending a few years on permanent residency status
- Permanent residents have access to many rights and privileges just like Australian cities such as free or subsidized legal and health services
- You can be sponsored by your relatives in Australia if they fulfill the residence criteria and assurance support requirements
- It gives you the right to apply for Australian consular assistance overseas
- If your child is born in Australia, he/she will be considered a citizen of Australia by birth
Applying for Permanent Residency after Australia study visa
Many international students enjoy their stay in Australia so much that they apply for permanent residency (PR) so they can continue to live and work in Australia. You can apply for permanent residency, i.e., subclass 189 visa, subclass 190 visa, etc. through the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. A permanent residency visa follows the point-based immigration system, wherein your eligibility for a PR visa is based on the points you score from the key selection factors, i.e., age, language proficiency, work experience, education, etc.
Here is the process to get PR in Australia:
- Arrange key documents: You would require these key documents to apply for PR in Australia:
- Routine travel and educational documents
- English language proficiency test results (IELTS)
- Skill assessment report
- Choose the appropriate visa: Following are the most common PR visa categories:
- Subclass 189 – Non-sponsored visa
- Subclass 190 – State nominated visa
- Subclass 186 – Employer nominated visa.
- Select an occupation from SOL: After you select a relevant visa, the next step would be selecting an occupation from the skilled occupation list (SOL). If you are applying for a non-sponsored visa, you can select the occupation from the SOL list of Australia and if you are applying for a state nominated visa you can select the occupation from SOL of that state.
- Apply through the point-based system: Next, it’s time to apply via the point-based system in Australia. Submit the EOI (expression of interest) on the online skill select system of Australia and you will be given points based on each of your profile factors such as age, education, work experience, language ability, etc. The collective score should be minimum of 80 points to apply through the system. The highest point scorer has higher chance of securing an invitation to apply for a visa.
- Health and character requirement: You have to provide relevant certificates for medical fitness and good character after going through the medical examination and character verification process.
Once you get a response from the authorities confirming that your profile has been selected, you will , get an invite to apply for the desired visa. Submit the application form attached with the essential documents to the immigration office within 60 days of the invitation.
How to Get PR in Australia after Study?
There are many ways to improve the chances of obtaining PR. This includes staying in Australia after completing your degree to gain work experience and language skills by applying for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), completing a more advanced qualification, improving your English language, and completing a Professional Year Program (PYP). PYP is a structured professional development program offered to applicants that combine formal learning with workplace experience. It is available in the fields of accounting, computer science, and engineering.
Requirements for Obtaining PR in Australia
- You should meet the Australian study requirement which means you must obtain a qualification in Australia (excluding online or distance study) as a result of at least two years of study (it can be obtained by studying multiple courses)
- Age requirement – age should be between 18 and 49
- The minimum IELTS score should be 6 (or equivalent in another specified English language proficiency test)
- You need to be nominated and should hold a skilled assessment for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List. Hence the field that you want to apply to should be in high demand in the jobs listed on the DIBP’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL) — such as health, education, trades or built environment. Applicants who have been nominated by a state or territory government must select an occupation from the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL). The applicants should review the list to see if their area of study appears and to check the details of approved skill assessors.
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