How to arrive and

The fine print, costs and processing time of the Student visa

Under a Student visa you will be required to comply with a number of visa conditions related to your attendance and academic performance. Some of the common conditions imposed on student visas include:

Visa Condition	Description
8101	Must not perform any work (until course has commenced and permission to work has been granted).
8105	Once permission to work has been granted, may work for up to 20 hours a week while the course is in session.
8202	Must satisfy attendance and course requirements.
8206	Must NOT change education provider during first 12 months of the course.
8501	Must maintain adequate health insurance in Australia.
8533	Must notify education provider if there is a change of address within 7 days.
8534	May only apply for a further student visa with permission to work, a protection visa or a Graduate Skilled visa.

The application fee for a Student visa is currently A$550. There are other costs associated with your application such as your tuition fees, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), medical examination, police clearance, English language testing, and the certification of your documents and postage.

The processing time varies from person to person depending on your personal circumstances, which visa subclass you are applying for, the quality of your supporting documentation, the workload at the office you’re having to apply through, etc. If you are submitting an electronic application then a decision usually occurs within 24 hours. If applying through your local Australian Embassy or Consular Office then it can take several weeks.
Your attendance is reported to Immigration every week and if you haven't attended at least 80% of your classes, DIBP might cancel your visa and ask you to leave the country. If you were ill for a lengthy period of time a Medical Certificate from a doctor (GP) is required to justify your absence.
Scholarships or any financial help to attend an Australia university is almost impossible to come by. Indicating this on your application might jeopardise your chances of being granted a Student visa.

7) The visitor’s visa and ETA

The aim of Australia's visitor visa is to assist the entry of genuine tourists/visitors and family visitors. You can visit Australia for tourism or other recreational activities such as holiday, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, visiting relatives or friends or other short-term non-work purposes (including short-term study). It is also a way for a prospective immigrant to visit the country on a fact-finding mission, but don’t mention this to any official of any kind at any time. You have a few choices of visa in this regard. They are:

For a short stay visit of up to 3 months you need either:-

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  an eVistor visa is a free visitor visa if you hold a passport is from a select group of countries http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/651.aspx
  
  

For a long stay visit of more than 3 months you need

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  a Tourist (Long Stay) visa, subclass 686 - for a total stay of more than three months.
  (see Form 983i ‘Visiting Australia, general requirements’)http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/983i.pdf
  

The eVisitor

An eVisitor is a free electronic authority for travel to Australia if you hold a passport from a select group of 35 countries. For example, UK passport holders are eligible, but South African passports are not. (You can see if you qualify at:http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/651.aspx ) You apply for an eVisitor online and thus you do not need to visit any office. You do not receive a stamp or label in your passport. Instead you will receive a confirmation email for your records.

Your eVisitor is linked to the passport number you use in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

If you obtain a new passport, you must advise the department of the new passport details before you travel to Australia. Failing to do so will result in your experiencing significant delays at the airport. You could even be denied permission to board your plane.

A separate eVisitor is required for each family member travelling with you to Australia, including those who are under 18 years of age and are included on your passport.

The Visitor visa and Vistor ETA

Applying for a Visitor ETA or Visitor visa

There are a number of ways to obtain an ETA or a Visitor visa.

Travel agents or airlines may arrange an ETA or a Tourist (Short Stay) visa for you if:

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  you hold one of the listed ETA-eligible passports, you can ask your travel agent or airline to arrange a Visitor ETA for you.
  
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  The department has a convenient 'online service' available to selected travel agents and airlines to apply for a Tourist Short Stay visa on behalf of their clients. This online service is currently available only to eligible passport holders of the following countries: the Czech Republic, Republic of Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates. A number of travel agents and airlines in these countries have registered with the department to access this service. If you wish to use this option, ask your travel agent or airline.
  

Applying over the Internet yourself

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  If you hold an ETA-eligible passport (Visitor ETA). See if your country is today included at the ETA website at: http://www.eta.immi.gov.au. Long-standing member countries of the ETA scheme are:
  

Brunei

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  Canada
  
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  Hong Kong SAR
  
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  Japan
  
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  Malaysia
  
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  Singapore
  
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  South Korea
  
• 
  United States of America
  

• 
  If you hold one of the following eligible passports (the Czech Republic, Republic of Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia or the United Arab Emirates (Tourist Short Stay visa) see: http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/visitors.htm
  

Applying in person or by mail

If you are not eligible to apply for an ETA or a Tourist Short Stay visa over the Internet, or if you wish to apply for a Tourist (Long Stay) visa, you may apply for a visitor visa in person or by mail. Please refer to the website of your nearest Australian overseas mission for details of the application procedures that apply to you.