Student Visa Subclass 500 And Its Requirements Since the early 2000s, the number of international students enrolled in Australian universities has been steadily increasing, proving Australia to be a popular destination and a great place to study. If you’re interested in moving to Australia to begin or further your studies, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about the student visa. Student Visa Length & Duration The Student Visa Subclass 500 is a temporary visa and the length of stay is determined by the type, of course, you will be studying and the length of the course. Length of Course Length of Stay Longer than 10 months (finishing November — December) The visa end date will usually be the 15th of March the following year Longer than 10 months (finishing January — October) The visa end date will usually be 2 months longer than the course end date Shorter than 10 months The visa end date will usually be 1 month longer than the course end date Note: There may be special circumstances where these usual periods may be exempt Postgraduate Research Students The length of stay or visa end date for Postgraduate research students is generally an additional 6 months on top of the usual visa end date. This is to allow postgraduate students to remain in Australia during the marking of their thesis. Primary School Students For primary school children enrolled in years 1–4, the maximum period for a student visa is 2 years. To continue their studies, these students must apply for another student visa subclass 500. Student Visa Application Processing Time Depending on the type of student visa subclass 500 you are applying for, processing times can vary. To ensure that your visa application is processed as quickly as possible, ensure that you fill in the application correctly and provide all the necessary documents. The Student visa 500 processing time information below is extracted from The Department of Home Affairs. Foreign Affairs or Defense Sector • 75% of applications in 12 days • 90% of applications in 24 days Postgraduate Research Sector • 75% of applications in 63 days • 90% of applications in 5 months Non-Award Sector • 75% of applications in 4 days • 90% of applications in 13 days Schools Sector • 75% of applications in 61 days • 90% of applications in 4 months Independent ELICOS Sector • 75% of applications in 27 days • 90% of applications in 42 days Vocational Education and Training Sector 75% of applications in 45 days 90% of applications in 73 days
