At a glance
- Visa type
- Temporary, for studyCourse length plus any additional period granted
- Key test
- The Genuine Student requirementApplies to applications lodged from 23 March 2024
- Must have
- Confirmation of EnrolmentFrom a registered provider
- Watch
- Condition 8202Enrolment, attendance and course progress
- Our fee
- On quoteEducation counselling is free for Scholar Hub students
Subclass 500
Where student applications are really decided
A student visa is a document exercise with one subjective element. The documents are either right or they are not; the Genuine Student assessment is where an application is won or lost, and it is the part most applicants under-prepare.
The Genuine Student requirement
You explain your current circumstances, why this course with this provider in Australia, your understanding of the course and of living here, and how the course benefits you. Responses are capped at 150 words each, so precision matters more than volume.
Financial capacity
Evidence that you can cover tuition, living costs and travel. Where the money came from matters as much as the balance.
A course that makes sense for you
A choice that does not follow from your background invites questions. If the course is right, saying why is easy; if it is not, no amount of drafting fixes it.
Conditions after grant
Condition 8202 requires you to stay enrolled and meet attendance and course progress requirements. This is where students already onshore most often come unstuck.
Eligibility
What you need in place
Course and provider advice comes from our QEAC-certified education counsellors; anything that amounts to immigration assistance is handled by a registered migration agent.
- 01
A Confirmation of Enrolment
From a registered provider, for a course of full-time study.
- 02
The Genuine Student criterion
Addressed in the online form, supported by evidence rather than assertion.
- 03
Financial capacity
For tuition, living costs and travel, for you and any family included.
- 04
English at the required level
Which varies with the course and provider.
- 05
Overseas Student Health Cover
For the duration of your stay.
- 06
Health and character
Examinations and police certificates as required.
How we work
What we actually do for you
You should know whether an application is viable before you spend money on it. If it is not yet, we say so and set out what would change that.
- 01
Course and provider first
Chosen so it stands up to scrutiny, not just so it is cheap or fast. Our education counsellors handle this part.
- 02
Assemble financial evidence properly
Source of funds, not just a balance on a date.
- 03
Draft the Genuine Student responses
Within the word limits, evidenced, and consistent with everything else in the file.
- 04
Lodge, then keep the file current
Requests for further information are common. Answering them well and quickly matters.
- 05
After grant, mind the conditions
Enrolment, attendance and progress. Talk to us before changing course or provider, not after.
Where it goes wrong
Why these applications fail
Refusals are rarely a surprise in hindsight. These are the patterns we see most, and all four are avoidable with advice before lodgement rather than after a decision.
Generic Genuine Student answers
Templated responses that could describe anyone are the most common cause of refusal. The assessor is looking for your circumstances.
Funds that appeared last week
A large recent deposit with no explanation raises the exact question you do not want asked.
Changing provider without advice
There are rules on when you may transfer, and doing it in the wrong order puts your visa at risk.
Ignoring course progress warnings
Condition 8202 breaches lead to cancellation. Early advice preserves options that later advice cannot.
Fees
What we charge
General information, not personal advice. This page explains how the visa works in general terms. It is not immigration assistance for your circumstances, and reading it does not create a client relationship.
Requirements, thresholds and processing priorities change. The Department of Home Affairs is the authority on current settings, and we confirm them against your case in a consultation. Reviewed August 2026.
Advice on this page is provided by a MARA-registered migration agent, MARN 1793706. In Australia only registered agents may lawfully give immigration assistance for a fee.
Migration agent consultation
60 minutes, in person or online
Full assessment of your options with customised advice. Credited towards your visa professional fee if you proceed.
AUD 150Free for Scholar Hub students
Student Visa (Subclass 500)
Our professional fee
Document preparation, drafting and lodgement, and responses to the Department through to a decision.
On quoteFixed in writing after your consultation
Our professional fees only. They exclude Department of Home Affairs visa application charges, skills assessment fees, English test fees and medical examinations.
See the full pricing page for other services.
Related pathways
Other visas we advise on
Most people are choosing between two or three of these. The immigration services page compares them side by side.
Temporary Graduate
485Stay and work after a qualifying Australian qualification.
Skilled Independent
189Points-tested permanent residence with no employer and no state involved.
Skilled Nominated
190Permanent residence with state nomination, which adds points to your score.
Skills assessment
Step oneThe mandatory first step for most skilled visas. Get the occupation right.
Questions
What people ask about the 500
General guidance only, and policy changes. Your own circumstances are assessed in a consultation.