Subclass 500 · Student

Student visa (Subclass 500)

The subclass 500 is the visa nearly every international student in Australia holds. It covers one enrolment in a CRICOS-registered course, lasts for the length of that course plus a short buffer, From 2 October 2026 most applicants must apply from outside Australia, and most can no longer include a partner or children. You must stay enrolled, keep adequate health cover, and satisfy the Genuine Student requirement.

By Roman Lama

Stay period: Up to 6 years, matched to your course length
Permanent residence: No, temporary only
Points tested: No
Age limit: No upper age limit; applicants under 18 need welfare arrangements
Base application charge: From AUD 2,500 for the main applicant (up from AUD 2,000 on 1 July 2026), plus AUD 1,530 for each family member aged 18 or over and AUD 500 for each under 18 for most students. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN citizens, and to Independent ELICOS and non-award applications; the Visa Pricing Estimator shows the exact concession amount.
Processing time: Most decisions in 1 to 4 months, varies by country and course
English requirement: Typically IELTS 5.5 overall (or equivalent) for direct entry, lower with a packaged English course; providers set their own higher bars

Who it's for

You are likely eligible if you:

1
Hold a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) in a CRICOS-registered course
2
Meet the Genuine Student requirement, which replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test in March 2024
3
Have enough money for tuition, travel, and living costs (the living-cost figure is set by Home Affairs and is reviewed regularly)
4
Hold Overseas Student Health Cover for the full visa period
5
Meet health and character requirements
6
Lodge your application from outside Australia, unless you hold an eligible visa and meet an exemption that lets you apply in Australia (from 2 October 2026)

What we found

When you actually start a new application in ImmiAccount, the visa categories are listed alphabetically with no search box, and "Student" is one of nineteen categories on that first screen.

Open it and three similarly named options sit right next to each other: Student Guardian Visa (590), Student Visa (500), and Student Visa (Subsequent Entrant) (500). The subclass 500 is the one nearly every first time applicant needs. The near identical names are an easy place to pick the wrong one if you are moving quickly. Look for "(500)" specifically, and only use "Subsequent Entrant" if this is not your first student visa and you already hold, or recently held, one.

We booked our biometrics appointment within a week of lodging the visa, as a Nepal-source applicant. The appointment itself was quick, about 5 minutes in and out.

After biometrics, the decision came in roughly 21 to 25 days. We're not citing an exact number because we didn't log the date precisely, so treat it as "about three weeks," not a guarantee. Your own timeline will depend on your country, course, and document completeness. See the official Global Visa Processing Times page for current benchmarks, not this one data point.

This is one applicant's experience, not a statistical average.

September 14, 2026

Pathway to permanent residence

The student visa itself is temporary and gives no direct PR entitlement. The common route is to finish an eligible qualification, move onto a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa, gain skilled work experience, and then apply for a 189, 190, or 491. Studying in a regional area can add points and open regional nomination streams.

How to apply for the subclass 500

Get your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). Accept your offer and pay any required deposit with your CRICOS-registered provider first; they issue the CoE through PRISMS, and you cannot lodge the visa application without it.
Buy Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the full length of your intended stay, matching your CoE end date. Most providers can arrange this for you, or you can buy it directly from an OSHC provider.
Prepare your Genuine Student statement and evidence. Address why this course, at this level, fits your study and career background, and gather proof of funds for tuition, travel, and living costs, plus any ties to your home country you want to reference.
Create an ImmiAccount and lodge online. All subclass 500 applications go through ImmiAccount. From 2 October 2026 most applicants must be outside Australia when they lodge and when the visa is granted. An application lodged onshore when you were required to be offshore is invalid, so check who can still apply in Australia first. Upload your CoE, passport, financial evidence, OSHC policy, and Genuine Student statement, then pay the base application charge.
Complete biometrics if requested. Home Affairs will tell you if and where to provide fingerprints and a photo at a visa application centre.
Respond quickly to any request for more information. A case officer may ask for extra documents or an interview; delays in replying are one of the most common causes of a slower decision.
Check your outcome in ImmiAccount. The subclass 500 has no physical label: your visa is linked electronically to your passport, and the grant notice is the document to keep.

What the subclass 500 covers

One student visa covers one primary course of study, plus any pre-requisite courses packaged with it. If you change to a course at a lower AQF level than the one you were granted the visa for, you generally need a new visa.

Working on a student visa

You can start working once your course begins, not before. The 48-hour fortnightly cap applies while your course is in session. Hours worked in a registered course's mandatory work placement do not count toward the cap.

Bringing family

From 2 October 2026 most student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children, and family cannot be added after the visa is granted. Home Affairs lists exemptions for PhD students, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence-sponsored students, foreign government scholarship recipients, and eligible students from Pacific and ASEAN countries. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules. Where family are included, the 48-hour fortnightly cap applies to them while your course is in session, except that family of master's by coursework or Extended master's students can work more than 48 hours, and the student and family of master's by research and doctoral students have no limit. See bringing your partner and children for the money and work rules.

How long it lasts

For courses longer than 10 months finishing in November or December, the visa usually runs to 15 March the next year. Shorter courses get a one to three month buffer after the course end date.

Common reasons applications fail

Thin Genuine Student statements, unexplained gaps in study history, funds that appear only days before applying, and course choices that do not build on previous study are the usual culprits.

Visa conditions

Common student visa conditions:

8105 limits work to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. Work is unlimited during scheduled breaks, and postgraduate research students are exempt once their course has started.
8202 requires you to stay enrolled, maintain satisfactory attendance, and make satisfactory academic progress.
8501 requires you to keep health insurance for the whole stay.
8516 requires you to keep meeting the circumstances you were granted the visa under.

Student visa (subclass 500): common questions

How much does the subclass 500 visa cost?

Base application charge for the Student visa (subclass 500): From AUD 2,500 for the main applicant (up from AUD 2,000 on 1 July 2026), plus AUD 1,530 for each family member aged 18 or over and AUD 500 for each under 18 for most students. A lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN citizens, and to Independent ELICOS and non-award applications; the Visa Pricing Estimator shows the exact concession amount. Family members you include each pay an additional charge, and there are separate costs for health checks, police certificates, and skills assessments.

How long does the subclass 500 visa take to process?

Typical processing time for the Student visa (subclass 500): Most decisions in 1 to 4 months, varies by country and course. Times vary with your occupation, how complete your application is, and demand at the time.

Does the subclass 500 visa lead to permanent residence?

No. The Student visa (subclass 500) is a temporary visa. Some holders move onto a skilled or employer-sponsored visa afterward, but the 500 itself gives no permanent residence entitlement.

What is the age limit for the subclass 500 visa?

No upper age limit; applicants under 18 need welfare arrangements. Age is assessed at a specific point in the process, usually the date of invitation or application, so check exactly when before you plan around it.

How long can I stay on the subclass 500 visa?

Stay period for the Student visa (subclass 500): Up to 6 years, matched to your course length. The exact period and any conditions are set on your grant notice, so confirm yours on the Department of Home Affairs website or in VEVO before you plan travel, study or work around it.

Related guides and visas

More guides that cover this visa

Last verified August 28, 2026Sources:[1][2][3][4][5]

Been through the student visa yourself? Share what actually happened — it helps the next applicant more than another summary of the rules.

This is general information, not immigration advice, and Where To Apply is not a registered migration agent. Visa criteria change often, so always confirm the current rules on the Department of Home Affairs website or with a registered migration agent (check their MARN on the OMARA website) before you apply.

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