The Australian borders have been closed since March 2020 because of the ongoing pandemic Covid-19. Due to this, international students were at a loss and could only attend universities online or freeze their semesters and resume their studies when the Scott Morrison government opens the Australian borders for international students again.
The current situation:
According to recent sources, around 63 international students have been allowed to enter Darwin through a charter flight which was from Singapore. The first international students who were allowed to enter Australia since the closure of borders which was March 2020 belong from countries namely China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Japan.
After the arrival of students at the airport, they shall be transferred to Howard Spring quarantine. The students will stay there for 14 days for the purpose of quarantine.
When will Australia open its borders for international students?
Currently, there is no such news regarding the opening of Australian borders for international students. However, we are of the viewpoint that it depends solely on the settlement of students here and whether there is a chance of Covid-19 outbreak in the campus even after 14 days of quarantine. We will update everyone regarding the situation as soon as we find something on the website of Australian Home Affairs.
Australian student Visa Cost (free for victims of covid-19):
The student visa for Australia did not change for the year 2020 and it is the same as last year. Single applicant is supposed to pay $620, additional charges for applicants over 18 is $460 AUD and charges for applicants under 18 is $150 AUD. It is to be noted that paying by a debit or a credit card will additionally charge you 1.5% of card handling fee.
Those students who could not complete their studies due to Covid-19 are given the opportunity to extend their visa for free. Feel free to contact us for our assistance.
Australia student visa processing time:
The time your visa may take to process completely depends upon the country you’re living in. If you are an applicant from Europe or North America, then you are likely to get a positive response from the visa office in a week or month after assessment of your health. However, if you are an applicant residing in countries like India Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal and Cambodia, then it might take you half a year or longer to get a response from visa office. We have an applicant who has been waiting for the student visa decision for over a year now.
Australian student visa requirements and conditions unchanged:
Following are the Australian student visa requirements:
You must be:
- Enrolled as a full-time student in any course of study in Australia.
- A holder of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), or lie in at least one exemption category.
- Must be 6 years or older.
- Must be able to prove your welfare arrangement if you fall under 18
- If you are already in Australia, you must be a holder of eligible substantive visa.
- Must write a convincing GTE statement to show how genuine you are as a student.
- Work not more than 40 hours fortnight.
- Finances to cover:
Living costs:
Living costs for 12 months are the following:
- For students or guardian – AUD 21,041
- For any partner coming along – AUD 7,362
- For a child coming along – AUD 3, 152
Course Fee:
A student must use the course fee of the first 12 months. In case, the course you enrolled in is less than 12 months then you will use the total cost. If you have already paid any cost then you must deduct it. In order to do so, you must provide evidence of your payment. It can be in the form of a receipt or Confirmation of Enrolment.
Travel Costs:
This is for the purpose of guiding you. While calculating the total sum of money you may need, you must include:
- AUD 2,500 for travel costs if you are an applicant of East or Southern Africa
- AUD 3,000 for travel costs if you are an applicant of West Africa
- AUD 2,000 for travel costs if you are an applicant of any country outside Australia.
- AUD 1,000 for travel costs if you are applying in Australia. However, if you will be returning back to Africa then include the additional cost of AUD 1,500.
Australia student visa process step by step (how to apply for a student visa in Australia):
- You must be aware of your budget. College is $5-15 K a year. University is $18- $50 k a year. Note: Students have to pay only the fee of the first term in advance.
- You can find the course of your choice at https://cricos.education.gov.au
- The applicant must satisfy the English proficiency requirements including English language certificate (IELTS, Cambridge, PTE). The required IELTS score to get into college is 5.5 and the required IELTS score to get into university is 6.5. Before applying, you must double-check on the website of the education provider.
- When enrolling, check if you lie on any scholarship criteria. If you do then you will be required to write SOP for the education provider. We work with the most popular education providers in Australia. In order to increase your chances of Australian visa approval, subscribe to our service packages.
- When you get your offer letter. You need to sign and pay the initial fee.
- GTE statement. Your future relies on your GTE statement. It is an integral part of the process. Feel free to follow us on our blog if you are looking for free tips regarding GTE statement and you can check our GTE statement sample as well. For higher-risk countries, we suggest applicants to get help from professionals due to an increased number of refusals of student visa.
- You must check if you have enough budget to support yourself in Australia.
- When applying for Australian visa, you will have to go through multiple health assessments.
Australian student visa refusal ration:
Australian student visa refusal ration depends mostly on the type of country and its risk level. The countries with the biggest level of risk and a refusal rate as high as 20% are the following:
– India
– Nepal
– Indonesia
– Pakistan
– Thailand
– Indonesia
– Sri Lanka
– Cambodia
Applicants applying from Europe, UK or North America are faced with a refusal rate as low as a 3% so this gives them a higher chance of getting their visa.
Australian student visa required documents:
The website of the Department of Home Affairs has a section consisting of a document checklist feature which will assist you in finding the required documents according to your circumstances. Normally students are asked to submit the following documents:
– Paid visa application fee – currently it is AUD 620
– A copy of your passport’s biodata page.
Note: Some students are asked to provide their passport physically.
– Certificate of offer letter or Enrollment.
– Evidence of sufficient funds.
– Evidence of Health Insurance Cover (OSHC).
– English proficiency test (IELTS, PTE, Cambridge) results.
– Criminal record check results.
– GTE and SOP statement.
– A CV or Resume which shows your employment history.
– If you changed your name then you must provide a change of name document for that.
– Evidence of prior education with translation (Diplomas, transcripts, degrees, or certificates from your previous schools)
As you can see the Australian student visa process is extremely easy but complex at the same time. It depends majorly on the country you are applying from and its risk level. In addition, it also depends on how you satisfy the requirements of visa and enrollment. Take a little help from professionals and enjoy the opportunity to study in Australia alongside their beautiful weather and culture. We advise all the applicants to never give up on their dreams and be careful while applying for the visa as we do not want you losing this great opportunity.
