If you accepted the university scholarship and have your offer confirmed in writing, by the inviting party, you should pay the tuition fee deposit. Australian government allows you to apply for a visa on certain terms. Right after that, you are supposed to follow the next pattern:
- Choose a program. Choose a program you are applying to and find it in the student base. Regardless of the university, you will need a basic student visa. There is an online system, ensuring you register in the database, which you can find at border.gov.au.
- Receive confirmation. You cannot apply for a visa unless the university of choosing confirms you are enrolled. This is called the official confirmation, or a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), which is basically a formal offer from your institution. You should deliver an answer in writing and make the required deposit before you come to the country of study.
- Forget about holiday visa. You can still get a visa if you’ve been to Australia before, even on holidays, and there is no age limit to the student visa in Australia. You can apply for the postgraduate study program if you wish to continue education in the country.
- Pay the price. The current price for an Australian visa is AU$550. You should make the payment while you submit the application. Please, note that tuition fees and application charges are reviewed each year, so don’t be surprised to pay more than you actually expected. Also, if you have dependents, that is going to cost you more than the regular visa offer.
- Stay on a program. Your Australian visa will allow you to stay in the country for the duration of the study program and holidays. You will also have time when the course is over, a period, which depends on the duration of the course and can range from one to three months. For a one-year course which ends in winter, you will have your visa valid for three extra months.
- Manage the time. Usually, it takes about a month to get your visa done. In other cases, you may wait just a little longer, so make sure you wrote your motivation letter and got university confirmation, because you will still need four weeks to have the formalities settled.
- Arrive to the country. You can travel to Australia three months prior to the course start. This is done in order to ensure the process of adjustments and the official procedure confirmation, if necessary.
- Find a part-time job. You can work up to 40 hours a fortnight and find a full time occupation once you are on holidays. This system allows you to earn extra money, while still paying attention to affordable papers, and is quite liberal for the country where students receive scholarships and grants. The visa will be delivered together with the work permit, which means you can start searching for work as soon as it arrives. If you engage in an unpaid practice, you still need permission. Voluntary courses are also included in the limit.
- Take a partner. If you have a partner you want to take with you to Australia, you should prove that you are in an exclusive and genuine relationship. This means you should be living together for at least a year and have a strong commitment to one another. In this case, your partner is dependent on a visa. On occasions, you are allowed to apply for another visa once your course ends. For this, you need to visit the Immigration office and learn about the options available.
