Your student visa was refused. What now?

A student visa refusal is stressful, but it is a decision you can often respond to. What you can do depends heavily on whether you applied from inside or outside the country.

Read the decision record carefully

The refusal letter states exactly which criterion was not met. Genuine Student concerns, insufficient funds, an English shortfall, and health or character issues all lead to different responses. Do not guess at the reason.

If you applied from outside the country

There is usually no merits review. You can generally apply again, addressing the specific problem the officer identified. A second application that ignores the first refusal's reasoning will fail the same way. If the refusal was on character or fraud grounds, get professional advice before reapplying, because that can trigger a re-entry ban.

If you applied from inside the country

You typically have a short window, often 28 days, to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. Deadlines are strict and missing one usually ends your options. While review is pending you are normally on a bridging visa and can stay.

Fixing the underlying issue

• Funds: build a clear, documented savings history rather than a recent lump sum.
• Genuine Student: rewrite the statement to address the officer's stated doubts directly.
• English: sit the test again or add a packaged English course.

Get advice early

A registered migration agent or a university's international student advisers can tell you quickly whether a fresh application or a review is the better route. The clock matters most for onshore refusals.