Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500): Complete 2026 Guide

Australia’s Subclass 500 is a single visa for every level of study — English courses, vocational training, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, PhDs — and it is applied for entirely online through ImmiAccount. What trips applicants up isn’t the form itself; it’s the four things assessed alongside it: your enrolment, a written Genuine Student case, a specific financial threshold, and mandatory health cover. Here’s what each one actually requires, plus what changed in 2026.

Who this visa is for

Subclass 500 covers any full-time course at a CRICOS-registered provider — the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students that lists every course Australia allows international students to enrol in. It replaced the old system of separate visa subclasses per education sector in 2016, so the same visa (and the same process) applies whether you’re doing a 20-week ELICOS English course or a four-year engineering degree; only the supporting evidence differs by course level and provider.

The process, step by step

1. Get an offer and pay your deposit. Your provider issues a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) only after you accept an offer and pay the required deposit or first instalment.
2. Buy Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your intended stay before you lodge — most applicants buy it to start a week or so before their course begins.
3. Write your Genuine Student (GS) responses (see below) and gather financial evidence.
4. Lodge online via ImmiAccount, pay the visa application charge, and complete biometrics at a visa application centre if required for your location.
5. Wait for a decision. The Department may request extra documents or a health examination before finalising your case.

The Genuine Student requirement (replaced GTE in 2024)

Since 23 March 2024, Australia assesses study intent through the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which replaced the old open-ended 300-word Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement with four targeted questions, each with its own word limit (around 150 words per answer):

1. Your current circumstances — ties to family, community, employment and your economic situation at home.
2. Why you chose this course and Australia as your study destination.
3. How you’ll benefit from studying this specific course.
4. Your study history in Australia, if you’ve studied here before.

You also sign a declaration confirming you understand your visa conditions and that post-study migration pathways are limited and not guaranteed — the Department has been explicit that developing skills Australia needs and later applying for permanent residence is a legitimate outcome, but the GS answers still need to center on the study itself, not a stated migration plan. Answer each question specifically to your situation; generic, copy-pasted answers are one of the most common reasons a case gets flagged for extra scrutiny.

The financial requirement

You must show you can cover living costs, tuition and travel for yourself and any accompanying family. As of the current benchmark (in effect since 10 May 2024):

On top of this you need your first year’s tuition fee (as shown on your CoE) and enough for return airfare. Some applicants instead demonstrate a parent’s or partner’s annual income above a separate Department threshold rather than showing savings directly — confirm which route fits your situation and the current income figure before you rely on it.

The Department cares less about a single large balance than about a credible history of funds: bank statements typically need to show consistent access over several months, not a lump sum that appeared the week before you applied. Loan approval letters, scholarship confirmations and a clear explanation of where the money came from (savings, an education loan, sale of an asset) all strengthen a financial case; a sudden, unexplained deposit is one of the more common triggers for a request for further information.

What the visa now costs

The Subclass 500 application charge has risen sharply and repeatedly:

Reduced rates continue to apply for eligible applicants from ASEAN member countries, Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste, and for some ELICOS/non-award enrolments (a concession rate, adjusted annually for CPI). Accompanying family members pay additional charges on top of the primary applicant’s fee. For context, Australia’s student visa fee is now well above comparable destinations — roughly three times the UK’s charge and around nine times the US F-1 fee — a gap the government has framed as reflecting “the increasing value of education in Australia,” though education providers have reported enrolment drops in response. If you’re weighing what happens after your course finishes, the linked Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa charge rose in the same round, from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750.

Health cover, English requirements and processing

• OSHC is compulsory for the whole length of your visa and must be bought from a government-approved insurer before you apply; a gap in cover is a common, entirely avoidable reason for refusal. Budget roughly AUD 500–700 a year for a single student, though rates vary by insurer and family size.
• English proficiency is usually evidenced with an in-person IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced or OET result — many providers set a baseline around IELTS 6.0 overall (sometimes 5.5 with a packaged ELICOS course beforehand). Some applicants are exempt, including citizens of certain English-speaking countries.
• Processing times vary by course level, your evidence level and how complete your application is at lodgment — the Department publishes current ranges on its website, so check them close to when you plan to apply rather than relying on a fixed number.
• Work rights let most Subclass 500 holders work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session, with no cap during scheduled course breaks. The visa itself runs for the length of your course, generally up to five years.

FAQ

Do I need an agent to apply? No — ImmiAccount is a direct self-service portal, though many applicants use a registered migration agent or their provider’s international office for help with the GS statement and evidence.

Can my visa be refused for a weak Genuine Student answer alone? Yes. The GS requirement is now assessed as its own criterion, separate from your financial and health evidence — a technically well-funded application can still be refused if your answers read as generic or inconsistent with your study and travel history.

What if my country has a higher evidence level? Applicants from countries or providers rated higher risk under Australia’s Simplified Student Visa Framework are asked for more extensive evidence (longer bank histories, more document verification). This can change with periodic Departmental reviews, so confirm your current evidence level before assuming what you needed last year still applies.

Does OSHC cover cost extra for dependants? Yes, family OSHC policies cost more than single-student cover — get a quote before you finalise your financial-capacity evidence so it’s included in what you show.

Before you lodge, pair this guide with our Subclass 500 document checklist for the full paperwork list, and see post-study work visas compared for what happens after you graduate. If you’re weighing Australia against another destination, our Canada vs Australia for students comparison covers the trade-offs. Join the VisaMet waitlist for AI-powered eligibility checks that flag a weak GS statement or a financial-evidence gap before you pay the application charge.

Sources: Study Australia — Student visa (Subclass 500), Study Australia — the new Genuine Student requirement, Study Australia — student visa application charge increase, Department of Home Affairs — Simplified Student Visa Framework.

This is preparation guidance, not migration advice. Fees, thresholds and evidence levels change — always confirm current figures on the Department of Home Affairs website before you lodge.