Australia’s borders are not only fully open,but from 6 July the requirements to present a certified vaccination certificate and complete a DPD have also been removed,further simplifying the arrival process.

If your student visa is about to expire but you still need to continue studying in Australia, what can you do? Or if you had to return home mid-course and now want to come back to finish your studies — is that possible?

Australia visa applications can be lodged either onshore (while you are in Australia) or offshore (while you are outside Australia).

Onshore applicationAn onshore application is one where the applicant is already in Australia on a valid visa at the time the application is lodged, and under the Migration Act is permitted to apply for a new visa from within Australia and, as a result, becomes eligible for a Bridging Visa.

Whereas anoffshore applicationis a visa application lodged while the applicant is outside Australia.

If you are unsure whether your visa is about to expire,check it as soon as possible to make sure your visa remains valid so that you can legally stay in Australia.

Once your visa expires and you remain in Australia, you areoverstayingyour visa — a breach of the Migration Act — and you may be barred from re-entering Australia for three years!

You can useVEVO to check your visa status.VEVO stands for Visa Entitlement Verification Online — a free online service provided by the Department of Home Affairs that lets you check your visa status.

The link to the VEVO website (or you can use the mobile app) is below 

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/check-conditions-online

Renewing your student visa from within Australia

Additional renewal charge —

First, let’s look at onshore applications. Those who have renewed a visa while in Australia will be aware thatsome applicants are charged an additional AUD $700 by the Department of Home Affairs when renewing onshore,known as the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge.

If youhave previouslyapplied for any visa listed in Table 1

(Table 1)

and subsequently apply forany of the visas in Table 2 below,you will be required to pay this additional charge

(Table 2)

If you want a stable, long-term visa to remain in Australia, a student visa remains one of the most accessible and widely applicable options. Offers from popular courses and institutions continue to be issued as normal,and student visas are granted almost every day — particularly quickly for applicants already onshore.

Bridging Visa —

One of the biggest advantages of applying for your student visa while onshore is that, if you lodge a new visa application before your current visa expires, you will in most cases receive a Bridging Visa A (BVA), which takes effect immediately,meaning that even if your current visa has already expired and a decision on your new application has not yet been made, you do not have to leave Australia — you can remain here and wait for the outcome of your next visa.

And in the vast majority of cases the Bridging Visa A isgranted automatically — no separate application is needed; it is issued automatically upon lodgement of a new visa application. In special circumstances, you may apply to the Department of Home Affairs by completing the relevant form.

So,can you depart Australia while holding a Bridging Visa A? Yes, you can— however, you will first need to apply for a Bridging Visa B (BVB). While the Bridging Visa B is valid, you may depart and re-enter Australia even if a decision on your new visa application has not yet been made, with no limit on the number of trips.

In the event of a visa refusal, you generally have the right to appeal —

In addition to the above conveniences, onshore visa renewals generally come with the right to appeal, which acts as a form of “safety net”.If your new visa application is unfortunately refused, you can appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT),to point out any errors or unreasonable decisions made by the visa officer during the assessment, and to submit any supporting material that was not previously provided.

Let me now highlight the most common reasons for a student visa refusal —

There are many grounds on which a visa application can be refused. For the student visa category in particular,failure to purchase the required health insurance, insufficient funds to cover living expenses and tuition fees in Australia, and failure to submit required documents on timeare all common reasons — however, thesecan generally be avoided if the application is lodged by a professional.

Renewing your student visa from outside Australia 

If you are outside Australia and wish to renew your student visa, you should likewise pay attention to the health insurance, financial support, complete documentation, and GTE issues mentioned above.

If you have previously held a student visaand are looking to renew, it is recommended that you first check the status of your previous course — whether it has already ended or how much time remains —then confirm whether your CoE is still valid.If your CoE still has a reasonable period of validity remaining and you meet the other requirements, you may be able to renew your student visa using that CoE — feel free to contact me directly to assess your situation.

The requirements for an offshore student visa application are essentially the same as for an onshore application. The main documents you will need to prepare are:

1. 1.   Identity documents — birth certificate notarisation, passport, identity card, and household registration booklet (originals and copies)

2. 2.   Proof of education/enrolment status — CoE, educational qualifications from your school in China or proof of current enrolment, academic transcripts, etc.

3. 3.   OSHC — Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is designed specifically for international students studying in Australia, to help students access appropriate medical care during their study abroad.

4. 4.   Financial requirement — the applicant or their parents must have sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses during their stay in Australia.

5. 5.   Study plan / personal statement (CV)

6. 6.   English language requirement — minimum English language test score (if applicable)

7. 7.   Proof of enrolment / proof of employment (if applicable)

Two-year Subclass 485 Graduate Work visa

From 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, the requirements for lodging a Subclass 485 Graduate Work Stream application will be temporarily relaxed,with no requirement for the occupation to be on the migration occupation list or for a skills assessment.

If you completed a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in the first half of 2022, or between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 (the course must have been at least 2 years in duration),feel free to contact us to assess whether you are eligible to apply.

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