Student Visa Info

Your pre-visa application will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

(i) Evidence of Enrolment

One of the important requirements for a student visa application is that you must be accepted for enrolment, to undertake a course, by a Government registered Australian education institution. This is verified by the advice of acceptance from the Australian institution (commonly known as Letter of Offer), which is issued to a student who has been offered enrolment in a full-time course. You should not pay any part of the course tuition fee prior to the outcome of the PVA.

(ii) Financial Ability

Sponsor/s will have to provide documentary evidence of having cash assets ( immediately encashable assets like savings and fixed deposits in banks) held for atleast 6 months prior to the pre-visa application date. For school applicants, funds need to be held for 3 months prior to the pre-visa application date.

Who an be a Sponsor?

Sponsor/s can be the applicant, parents, grandparents, or spouse only ( relatives like brother /sister /uncle /aunt /cousin / family friend are not acceptable). School applicants have no restriction on sponsor/s.

How much funds have to be shown?

For Masters and Doctorate Courses
Sponsors must provide evidence of cash assets for the first year tuition fee (as on the letter of offer) and living expenses (assumed at A$ 12000 p.a.) and access to additional funds (from acceptable sources) to meet the cost of the remainder of study and stay in Australia.

Commercial loans from Banks and government loans are acceptable.

In case the applicant holds a partial scholarship from an Australian institution or an institution in India ( eg. Educational Trusts), funds to cover the remaining costs must be provided as prescribed above.

Private corporate sponsorship is acceptable subject to certain conditions. However if the company is a family owned business and if one/both parents are directors/partners, it is treated as a parent sponsor.

Students with Dependants (Spouse/Children)
Costs could be expected to increase by atleast 35% if the student has a spouse, a further 20% (plus A$ 8000 p.a. for school fees if the child is 5 years or older) if the student has one child, a further 15% for each additional child plus school fees. The above amounts apply irrespective of whether they will accompany the applicant. Individual return travel costs need to be taken at A $ 1500 approx.

For Vocational Education and Training (VET), TAFE, Higher Education and School courses
Sponsors must provide evidence of cash assets covering tuition fee and living expenses of the entire duration of the proposed and pre-requisite course (including foundation/ELICOS/Bridging program that precedes the main course).

(iii) English Proficiency

All students have to demonstrate a minimum level of proficiency, measured by an IELTS overall band score of atleast 6.0, except those enrolling for a Diploma course (VET) in which case 5.5 is acceptable. Please note that TOEFL score is not acceptable and IELTS is compulsory even if the student has studied in English medium institutions throughout his/her academic career.

(iv) Potential to breach visa conditions

This is an assessment of an individual’s current circumstances done by the visa officer by reviewing for example, the situation in your home country - your personal and financial commitments that may prompt you to return to your home country.

(v) Other Relevant Matters

These include:

•  Immigration links with Australia

•   Usefulness of course for career development

•   Satisfactory completion of year 12 / relevant undergraduate degree or equivalent.

•   Strong links have to be established between past academic/work background and study goals.

•   Guardianship arrangements (if applicant is under 18 at the time of PVA application)

4. Further Processing

If you are advised that you meet the PVA requirements, you will be asked to undergo further processing. This I ncludes payment of course tuition fee to the Australian educational institution and a medical examination. It is essential that the student and the accompanying dependent(s) meet the Australian Health requirements before a visa may be granted. This involves a medical check and an x-ray for applicants over 16. Applicants will need to present an original valid passport to identify themselves to the Doctor and Radiologist. In some cases medical results will be referred to Australia and as this process takes 3 - 4 weeks, applicants will need to allow additional time. Usually only medicals where the doctor or radiologist has detected an abnormality will be referred to Australia. Applicants need to take into account postage or courier times also.

5.  Total processing time

As a general rule, applicants should allow a four (4) to six (6) week timeframe for processing of applications.

Factors that may delay this processing time include:

•   Medical referral to Australia and the need for any subsequent medical tests;

•   Document verification including educational documents, employment references and bank statements; and

•   Applications which are incomplete and require the visa office to make contact with the applicant or the applicant’s agent.

6.  Health Insurance

It is compulsory for all international students to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for themselves and their dependents, where applicable, for the duration of the visa. The. premium for. OSHC is only to be paid once the PVA requirements have been met. The current premiums for OSHC are AUD274 for a single person and AIJD54S for a whole family.

7.  Re-entry into Australia

All Student Visas have a multiple entry facility for the full period of the visa. Students who plan to travel out of, and return to, Australia at any time during their course are advised to check that their visa is valid for return to Australia.

(1). Do part - time on campus job while attending school FULL TIME (12 credits at minimum)

(2). Do part time off campus job AFTER you have CPT approved by your school (contact your international student office). Your job MUST be related to your study. In the past, during summer, students were allowed to have full time CPT and worked off campus. Not sure about the regulation now.

(3). Right before you graduate, you can apply for OPT. This gives you 1 full year working with any employer anywhere in the States. The work must be related to you study. This OPT (or work permit/EAD) can’t be used to re-entry the country, in case you go back or going abroad.

Because US immigration law changes all the times, I would encourage you to talk to the international student advisory in your school before even thinking applying for job.

Suppose You now have a degree from a premier educational institution in the United States of America. You’ve pondered over the future and decided you want to work in the US for a while. Will you get a job? More importantly, will you get a work visa? Let’s see how you could convince a prospective employer to hire you and, one year hence, how you could convince them to help you secure a H-1B work visa. Let’s take the case of Harshal, an Indian studying in the US.

At the job interview

Harshal is about to graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, has practical training and is giving a job interview with a smaller company that is not familiar with the process of securing employment visas.

Here’s how he answers a question regarding his ability to work in the US:

“Currently, I am in the US as an F-1 student and I am entitled to work under my practical training visa as soon as I graduate. Your company will not need to file any visas or take any steps before I can begin work with you. If I am able to prove my value to your company, I will need your assistance in converting to a long-term employment visa when my practical training ends. Of course, I will be responsible for the cost of the visa, and all of the paperwork is subject to your approval.”

The approach, say many observers of the immigration process, has been tremendously successful. By ‘disarming’ the issue of immigration, you give a smaller employer the option of hiring you without investing time and money in an unfamiliar immigration procedure.

We have even had students characterize the practical training as ‘the perfect trial period’ since the company can dismiss the new employee at any time should things not work out, without having to deal with any immigration penalty.

If things work out, many employers will at least contribute to the cost of processing the H-1B visa, mainly for employees who have really excelled in their first year. You should never ask for that upfront, but you can wait for it with many smaller companies.

Finally, bear in mind that if you are dealing with a actually major corporation — Dow, Microsoft, and the like — you can expect them to have in-house or outside attorneys who specifically handle immigration matters.

In such cases, particularly in highly specialized engineering positions and rehab professions (related to health care, where treatment is required to help the patient heal/ improve), your employer will likely pick up the total cost of procuring the visa.

After one year of employment

It is the end of the first year, Harshal’s practical training visa is about to expire, and he must raise the issue of securing a H-1B visa with his employer. This is what he says:

“Hi, Sam. I don’t know if you remember, but we had discussed the fact that, somewhere down the road, I would need your assistance in transferring my visa category. My student practical training is about to expire — we get one year after graduation. I know that Sozo Engineering doesn’t handle immigration paperwork, so I am aware I am completely responsible for the legal cost associated with my transfer in visa.

“Here is a checklist of the information I am going to need to present to my lawyer so he can prepare the paperwork for your signatures. He will then be calling you to explain all of the visa process, and answer any question you may have. He also asked me to tell you that all of the documentation which is submitted will be subject to your approval, and that your willingness to extend my employment does not in any way generate a contract — if I mess up, you guys are still free to get rid of me! Anyway, here is the info, and let me know whether you want to call the attorney or he should call you.

Now, think about it from the standpoint of a human resources professional: they are dealing with hundreds of issues ranging from insurance to workers’ compensation. Do they really want to hassle with immigration paperwork? By taking the initiative and presenting it as your problem not theirs, you are setting the framework for a positive dialogue between you, your employer, and the immigration lawyer.

Getting and keeping a long-term relationship with a quality US employer is a practical reality for many of the foreign students graduating from US universities. The opportunities are abundant, provided you know how to approach the employer and how to’d-fuse’ the issue of your foreign status.

Once you have your H-1B visa, you can remain in H-1B status for up to six years. While in H-1B status, you can also pursue permanent residency, if your employer is willing to sponsor you. Unless you are a physical therapist or a registered nurse, this process requires a labor certification, a costly and lengthy process that should only be attempted when you are extremely secure in your relationship with your employer.

The thing to remain in mind is that your US employer is not doing you a ‘favor’ by hiring you; you are being selected for your skills based upon the professional education you have received in the US, an education indistinguishable to that received by US-based graduates. They are hiring you for what you know, not because of anywhere you are from. Through a clever and honest presentation of the issues at hand and wary message with your qualified migration attorney, both you and your employer can benefit from a long-term connection that could eventually lead to your everlasting citizenship in the US, if you so wish.

Many people would welcome the chance to spend some time in Australia studying and they can, as long as sure conditions are met. Firstly they must be proficient in English language, must attend a course or part of a course full time, and that course must be offered by an education or training provider registered with the Australian Government as accepting overseas students. The Department of Education, Science and Training provides full details but such courses comprise both vocational and academic.

There are 7 different types of student visa which may have differing conditions attached and these are:

(1). Independent ELICOS -  For those undertaking an English Language Intensive Course either not leading to an Australian award or to a variety of certificates.

(2). Schools -  For those in primary or secondary education.

(3). Vocational Educational and Training - which covers a number of vocational certificates and diplomas.

(4). Higher Education - covering degrees and graduate qualifications.

(5). Postgraduate Research - for those undertaking Masters research or a Doctorate.

(6). Non-Award - which are foundation studies or other components of courses not leading to an Australian award?

(7). AusAID and Defence - these are full-time courses undertaken by an AusAID or Defence student sponsored by the Australian Government

Each applicant for a student visa is assessed depending on country from which a passport is under arrest and the type of visa required. The evaluation level is designed to indicate how likely a student is to comply with the conditions of their visa, based on their previous performance. The assessment levels range from 1 to 5 and the higher the level, the more evidence will be required to support the visa application in terms of the student’s aptitude to support themselves and their fluency in the English language.

There are a number of conditions connected with being granted a Student Visa, the most distinguished of which being that the student must maintain enough health insurance for the period of their stay, they may not labor unless the apply intended for a separate visa to do so and they must remain in full-time education. The situation are far-away more detailed than this but this gives an thought of what is required of someone wanting to apply for a Student Visa. The Australian Government Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website will guide students through the steps required to apply for an Australian Visa.