Many international students study in Australia on a Student visa (subclass 500). From 2 October 2026, most applicants can no longer include family members unless an exemption applies, and most applications must be lodged outside Australia unless the applicant meets an exemption. Family members cannot apply later as subsequent entrants under the new rules. Check the current rules before making plans.
The part that surprises people is the sequence. You cannot apply for the visa first and sort the course out afterwards — the application depends on documents the university issues to you, so the order below is not a suggestion.
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.
Most Student visa holders must maintain adequate health insurance, usually Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), for their stay. Limited exemptions and reciprocal arrangements apply. Check the current Home Affairs requirements and confirm your cover dates with your insurer.
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.
Most of the application is documentation. What is requested varies with your circumstances and your country, but the categories are consistent:
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.
A granted visa comes with conditions attached, and breaching them can put your stay at risk. The ones students most often overlook:
A student who has been through it can tell you how long their own documents took to gather, how they approached the Genuine Student questions, 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.
Immigration advice in Australia is regulated. Learn from other students' experience, but for personalised advice about your own visa — including anything about eligibility, refusals, cancellations or conditions — consult a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner. You can verify a migration agent on the public MARA register, linked below.
Department of Home Affairs
Department of Home Affairs
Australian Government
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority
Want this explained by someone who has already done it?
Talk to a student mentor