The Australian student visa, in the order it actually happens

1. Get an offer, then a Confirmation of Enrolment

You apply to an institution, receive an offer, accept it and usually pay a deposit. Only then does the provider issue a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) — the electronic document the Department of Home Affairs checks.

Your course must be registered on CRICOS, the register of courses that can legally be delivered to international students. A course that is not on CRICOS cannot support a student visa, however good it looks.

2. Arrange health cover that spans your whole stay

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is a condition of the visa, not an optional extra, and it generally has to cover the entire period of your visa rather than just your first semester.

Some nationalities are treated differently under reciprocal arrangements. Check your own situation rather than assuming, and see our health insurance guide for what OSHC does and does not pay for.

3. Assemble the evidence

Most of the application is documentation. What is requested varies with your circumstances and your country, but the categories are consistent:

• The Genuine Student requirement — a written response explaining your course choice, your circumstances and your plans. It replaced the former Genuine Temporary Entrant test and is assessed on what you write, so it deserves real time.
• Evidence of English language ability, unless an exemption applies to you.
• Evidence that you can cover tuition, travel and living costs for the relevant period.
• Health examinations, where they are required for your country or your intended course.
• Character documents, which can include police certificates.
• A valid passport that comfortably outlasts your intended stay.

4. Apply online, and keep your own copies

Applications are lodged through ImmiAccount. You will be asked to upload your documents, pay the application charge and, in many cases, provide biometrics.

Keep your own copy of everything you submit and every reference number you are given. If anything is queried later, the file you kept is what answers it.

5. Understand the conditions before you land

A granted visa comes with conditions attached, and breaching them can put your stay at risk. The ones students most often overlook:

• You must stay enrolled and maintain satisfactory course progress and attendance.
• Work is capped during study periods. The cap has changed more than once in recent years — read the current figure on the Home Affairs page rather than trusting a forum post or this page.
• You must keep your health cover current for the life of the visa.
• You must tell your provider your Australian address within the required time after arriving, and update it when you move.

What a mentor can and cannot help with

A student who has been through it can tell you how long their own documents took to gather, what their Genuine Student statement looked like, and which parts of the process confused them. That is experience, and it is genuinely useful.

What they cannot do is tell you which visa to apply for or whether your application will succeed. Nobody on this platform is authorised to do that.