Any person who intends to undertake full-time study in a registered course in Australia needs to obtain a Student Visa. A Student Visa permits the holder to travel to, enter and remain in Australia for the duration of the registered course of study. Overseas students cannot undertake part-time study in Australia and must leave Australia on completion of their course of study.

The visa process involves two steps with a Pre Visa Assessment (PVA) as the first step. A student will need PVA approval before taking a medical exam, paying tuition fees and receiving an electronic confirmation of enrolment (eCOE) to file for the student visa which is the second step.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Rs. 50,000 approx.

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).

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.

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.

If you are advised that you meet the PVA requirements, you will be asked to undergo further processing. This includes 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.

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:

*  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.

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.

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. (Information compiled from infozee.com)