Student Visa (Subclass 500)Without the Agent Fees

The GS requirement (which replaced the old GTE test in March 2024) requires you to clearly explain:

• Your course choice and why it fits your background
• How it aligns with your career goals
• How you will comply with visa conditions

The kit includes structured templates and examples aligned with the current assessment criteria.

Students on visitor visas or Temporary Graduate (485) visas can no longer switch to a student visa from within Australia. Applications must now be made offshore. Plan your visa pathway carefully before travelling to Australia.

The baseline English requirement is IELTS Academic 6.0 overall (or equivalent on another approved test under LIN 25/090). Lower scores may be accepted if you:

• Package an approved ELICOS course (10 to 50 weeks depending on your score) with your principal course
• Are enrolled in an eligible pathway or foundation program

Exemptions may apply if you hold a passport from the UK, USA, Canada, NZ or Ireland, or have completed at least 5 years of study in English in certain countries. See LIN 25/090 for the full exemption list.

Partners and dependent children can be included or join later. You must demonstrate:

• Financial capacity for each dependant (AUD $10,394/year for a partner, AUD $4,449/year per child)
• Evidence of relationship
• OSHC coverage
• Schooling arrangements for school-age children

Ministerial Direction 115 (effective 14 November 2025) sets the order in which the Department considers offshore Subclass 500 applications. There are three priority categories:

• Priority 1 — provider below 80% of annual indicative allocation, plus exempt categories (school, ELICOS, TAFE, postgraduate research, Foreign Affairs/Defence/Commonwealth-sponsored, scholarship, Pacific/Timor-Leste students, transnational education, certain minor-related subsequent entrants)
• Priority 2 — provider 80 to 115% of allocation, plus most other subsequent entrants
• Priority 3 — provider at or above 115%

Direction 115 only applies to offshore applications and sequences the queue. It does not change the substantive merits assessment.

The kit does NOT include:

• Personalised migration advice for your specific situation
• Lodgement of your visa application on your behalf
• Communication with the Department of Home Affairs
• Review of your GS statement or individual documents
• Selection of your education provider

It provides templates, step-by-step instructions, and checklists so you can prepare and lodge your own application confidently.

Where the principal course is a masters or doctoral degree, more than 48 hours per fortnight is permitted once that course has commenced (per Condition 8105). Key points:

• Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session
• Unlimited hours during scheduled breaks
• Work required as part of your course (e.g. mandatory clinical placements registered on CRICOS) is generally outside the 48-hour limit

Always check your specific visa conditions and provider calendars to avoid breaching Condition 8105.