Study in Australia, and build a visa file that actually holds up.
Australia's student visa rules changed a lot between 2024 and 2026. This guide explains the fees, the Genuine Student requirement, and how visa officers actually review your file — in plain language, verified against official Home Affairs sources. From Uniallies Immigration & Education Services.
Australia Snapshot
A strong education system, now with tighter rules
Australia still offers respected degrees and a real post-study work period. But the system is more selective than it used to be. Knowing the rules before you apply is what actually protects your chances.
Globally respected degrees
Courses at CRICOS-registered institutions are recognised by employers and universities around the world, from diplomas through to doctoral degrees.
Real post-study work rights
Graduates can move onto a Temporary Graduate visa for 2 years or more, with extra time available for study in a designated regional area.
A visible route to residency
Skilled graduates can move toward permanent residency through points-tested visas or employer sponsorship once they build the right experience.
From course choice to visa grant
Choose a CRICOS-registered course
Pick a course and institution that matches your academic background and career goals. This choice shapes your Genuine Student answers later, so make it a real one.
Check your institution's priority tier
Under Ministerial Direction 115, institutions that have used less of their annual enrolment allocation get faster visa processing. Ask your institution or agent where it currently sits.
Apply and receive your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
Once you accept your offer and pay any required deposit, your institution issues a CoE. You need this before you can lodge your visa application.
Prepare your financial evidence
Gather bank statements, loan letters, or sponsor documents that clearly cover tuition, living costs, and travel — held for at least three months where possible.
Answer the Genuine Student questions carefully
Write specific, honest answers about your course choice, your ties to Bangladesh, and your plans after you finish studying. Generic answers are one of the most common reasons for refusal.
Lodge your visa application through ImmiAccount
Submit your CoE, financial evidence, English test result, and OSHC details, then pay the AUD $2,500 visa application charge.
Complete biometrics and health checks if requested
Some applicants must give biometrics at a Visa Application Centre or complete a health examination with an approved panel physician.
Receive your visa and plan your travel
Once granted, your visa is generally valid for the length of your course, up to a maximum of six years.
Processing priority & financial thresholds, visualised
Two things decide most of what happens to your application: which priority tier your institution sits in, and whether your funds clearly cover your family size.
Postgraduate research (PhD) students and a few strategic cohorts get high priority regardless of their institution's tier.
These figures cover living costs only — tuition, travel, and OSHC are shown and paid separately.
Indicative split only — tuition varies enormously by course and institution; the living-cost figure is set by Home Affairs and reviewed periodically.
What a case officer actually looks at
The Genuine Student requirement is not one question. It is three separate lenses that your whole file gets checked against.
The Genuine Student (GS) policy exists to separate people who genuinely want to study from people using a student visa mainly as a way into Australia for other reasons. It replaced the older Genuine Temporary Entrant test on 23 March 2024. The name changed, and so did the format — but the underlying goal is the same: officers want a coherent, honest picture of who you are, why this course, and what you plan to do afterwards. A well-prepared applicant with a genuine study purpose has nothing to fear from the GS policy. It mainly catches applications that look inconsistent, generic, or copied.
Does your money make sense?
Officers look at where your funds came from, not just how much sits in the account today.
- Large, unexplained deposits shortly before lodging are a common red flag.
- Funds should be visible in statements for at least three months, where possible.
- If a sponsor is supporting you, their income and relationship to you must be clearly documented.
Does your course connect to your future?
Officers check whether your chosen course is a logical step from your past study and toward your stated career goal.
- A vague or mismatched course choice weakens an otherwise strong file.
- Study gaps need a clear, evidenced explanation — not just a mention.
- Explain what the qualification adds that you don't already have.
What connects you to Bangladesh?
This is not about proving you'll never want to stay in Australia. It's about showing a credible, current picture of your life at home.
- Family, property, or job prospects at home all count as evidence.
- Be honest — vague or copied-sounding answers are easy for officers to spot.
- If you hope to work in Australia after graduating, say so; the Genuine Student test allows for genuine post-study plans.
Financial requirements & health cover
Two separate things get checked here: how much money you can show, and whether your health cover meets the rules.
Living-cost proof
AUD $29,710 for the student, plus AUD $10,394 for a spouse and AUD $4,449 for each dependent child, on top of tuition and travel.
Overseas Student Health Cover
OSHC is mandatory for the full length of your visa, for you and any family members travelling with you. Five providers are approved: Allianz Care, Bupa, Medibank, NIB and ahm.
School-age children
Children aged 5 or older must be enrolled in an Australian school for the length of your stay, with schooling costs of at least AUD $13,502 per year factored into your funds.
A visa-officer's checklist for your application
Most refusals don't come from one big mistake. They come from small inconsistencies between your documents, your answers, and your actual situation. This checklist closes those gaps.
Match every name and date exactly
Your name, date of birth, and passport number must match precisely across your CoE, financial documents, English test result, and application form. Small mismatches trigger manual review.
Explain large deposits before you're asked
If a large sum entered your account recently, add a short letter explaining its source now — a salary bonus, a property sale, a loan disbursement — with matching documentation.
Write GS answers about your own life
Mention the specific course, specific modules, and specific reasons this institution fits your goals. Answers that could apply to any applicant are the easiest ones for an officer to doubt.
Address any past refusal directly
If you've been refused an Australian or other country's visa before, explain what changed. Silence on a past refusal reads worse than the refusal itself.
Get certified translations for every foreign-language document
Academic transcripts, marriage certificates, and bank letters not in English need certified translations attached alongside the originals.
Apply for the correct visa the first time
Switching visa types after a refusal makes every later application harder. Confirm you're applying for the visa that actually matches your circumstances before you lodge.
Work rights during your course
You can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while classes are running, and there's no cap during scheduled course breaks. Staying within these limits protects your visa — working over the limit is treated as a breach of your visa conditions.
The 2026 route from graduation to permanent residency
Most graduates don't move straight from a student visa to permanent residency. There's a working stage in between, and it now has firmer rules than it used to.
Temporary Graduate visa (485)
- Apply within 6 months of finishing your course, while still in Australia
- Must be 35 or under for most streams (research master's, PhD, and HK/BNO passport holders can apply up to 50)
- English requirement: IELTS 6.5 overall, no band below 5.5, test taken within the last 12 months
Build skilled work experience
- Work in a role connected to your qualification while on your 485 visa
- Track your points: age, English level, qualifications, and Australian work experience all count
- A regional postcode adds extra 485 duration and, separately, extra points toward some visas
Apply for permanent residency
- Points-tested pathways: Skilled Independent (189), State Nominated (190), Skilled Work Regional (491)
- Employer-sponsored pathway: the Skills in Demand visa, which replaced the old Temporary Skill Shortage visa
- Occupation lists and points requirements are reviewed periodically — confirm your occupation's current status before planning around it
Since 1 July 2024, Temporary Graduate visa holders can no longer switch to a student visa while in Australia — this is part of a broader set of anti-"visa hopping" rules tightened further from February 2026. Plan your pathway in order, since backtracking is now harder than it used to be.
Your PR roadmap after finishing your degree
The realistic sequence most graduates follow, from course completion to a permanent visa grant.
Confirm your course completion date
Your 6-month window for the 485 visa starts from your official completion letter date, not your graduation ceremony date.
Sit your English test early
You need IELTS 6.5 overall (or equivalent) with no band below 5.5, taken within 12 months of lodging your 485 application.
Choose the right 485 stream
Most degree graduates apply through the Post-Higher Education Work stream; vocational graduates in a listed occupation use the Post-Vocational Education Work stream.
Work in a role linked to your qualification
Build the kind of experience that supports a skills assessment later — this matters more than just staying employed.
Get a skills assessment in your nominated occupation
Most points-tested pathways require a positive assessment from the relevant assessing authority before you can submit an Expression of Interest.
Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI)
Lodge for the Skilled Independent (189), State Nominated (190), or Skilled Work Regional (491) visa — or pursue an employer-sponsored route if you have a job offer.
Receive an invitation and apply
Once invited, submit your full application with medicals, police checks, and evidence supporting every point you claimed.
Receive your permanent visa
Once granted, you hold permanent residency — the final step before Australian citizenship eligibility, subject to residency requirements.
Source: Department of Home Affairs — Student visa (Subclass 500). Occupation lists, points requirements, and visa settings are reviewed periodically — confirm the latest version before you plan around it.
Visa fees at a glance
| Visa | Fee (Indicative, 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Student Visa (Subclass 500) | AUD $2,500 | Effective from 1 July 2026, primary applicant |
| Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) | AUD $5,750 | Effective from 1 July 2026; rose from AUD $4,600 on 1 March 2026 |
| 485 — Second Post-Higher Education stream | AUD $2,265 | For eligible regional-area applicants only |
| Skilled Independent Visa (189) | AUD $6,135 | Points-tested, primary applicant |
| Skilled Nominated (190) & Skilled Work Regional (491) | AUD $6,140 | Points-tested, primary applicant — plus any state nomination charge |
Both the student visa fee and the 485 visa fee rose again from 1 July 2026 — the 500 visa fee moved from AUD $2,000 to AUD $2,500, and the 485 fee moved from AUD $4,600 to AUD $5,750. Treat any figure on this page, including these, as provisional. Always confirm the current amount on the official Department of Home Affairs website before paying anything.
Legislative & policy updates that shape your file
Genuine Student requirement replaces GTE
Structured, in-form questions replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant statement for all Subclass 500 applications.
Financial capacity raised to $29,710
The annual living-cost benchmark rose sharply from AUD $24,505, and it remains the current figure through 2026.
Onshore visa-hopping restricted
Temporary Graduate visa holders can no longer switch to a student visa while in Australia — part of a broader integrity push.
Ministerial Direction 115 takes effect
A new three-tier priority system for offshore student visa processing, based on each institution's enrolment allocation usage.
485 visa fee doubles, then rises again
The Temporary Graduate visa fee rose from AUD $2,300 to $4,600 in March, then to AUD $5,750 in July — a rapid, two-step increase within a single year.
Student & skilled visa fees rise again
The Subclass 500 fee rose from AUD $2,000 to AUD $2,500. The Skilled Independent visa (189) rose to AUD $6,135, and the Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) visas rose to AUD $6,140.
National Planning Level raised to 295,000
The government increased the 2026 student visa planning level by 25,000 places compared to 2025, while keeping tight integrity checks in place.
Study & visa FAQs
Since 10 May 2024, a single applicant generally needs at least AUD $29,710 for living costs, plus tuition and travel. A spouse adds AUD $10,394 and each dependent child adds AUD $4,449.
It replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test on 23 March 2024. You answer several structured questions inside the application itself, roughly 150 words each, about your study choice, your ties to home, and your plans after the course.
It sorts offshore applications into three priority tiers based on how much of your institution's annual enrolment allocation is used. Institutions under 80% get the fastest processing; those at or above 115% get the slowest.
Most graduates move to a Temporary Graduate visa (485), build skilled work experience, then apply for permanent residency through the Skilled Independent (189), State Nominated (190), Skilled Work Regional (491), or an employer-sponsored pathway. See the full step-by-step roadmap above.
Get an honest, document-level review before you lodge
Uniallies Immigration & Education Services checks your CoE, financial evidence, and Genuine Student answers against what case officers actually assess — before submission, not after a refusal.