Step-by-Step Guide: Australian Study Visa Requirements for Pakistani Students

If you are dreaming of studying in Australia and want that dream to come true, you require careful planning and adherence to specific visa requirements. In this article, we have covered all the essential aspects, such as health examinations, document preparation, financial considerations, and English language proficiency. We designed this comprehensive guide to help you navigate the complexities of the Australian Student Visa (Subclass 500) application process. By understanding the guidelines and accurately following the steps, you can increase your chances of securing a successful visa and realizing your academic aspirations in Australia.

Australian Study Visa Requirements for Pakistani Students

Before you apply: If you are outside Australia, you should have enough time before your course start date. It is recommended that you complete your admission process with the university and lodge your visa application before your course start date. 90 days will be available.

Health Examination: If you are applying for an Australian Student Visa Subclass 500 from Pakistan, you must undergo a Health Examination. Firstly, book your health examination and create an ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website. After creating an ImmiAccount, you will complete your Health Declaration and get the HAP ID required to book your health examination. Health examinations in Pakistan can be booked at WILCARE, IOM, and Aziz Medical in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Health Examination in Pakistan costs PKR 41200.

Identity Documents

Please provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, passport issue, and expiry dates.

Also provide:

• A national identity card, if you have one
• Proof of a change of name

Documents that prove a change of name include:

• A marriage or divorce certificate
• Change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority
• Documents that show other names you have been known by

Confirmation of enrolment, letters of support, and acceptance forms:

• Attach the required documents according to your situation. 
• Applying outside Australia
• Provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for all intended courses.

Genuine Student Documents: 

DoHA asks you to respond, in English, to a set of questions in your online application.  Each question has a 150-word limit addressing the genuine student criteria. There is an additional question if you:

• Have you previously held a student visa or
• You are lodging an application in Australia on a non-student visa.

You have to attach supporting documents to your application in your ImmiAccount.

• See how to provide evidence to address the Genuine Student criteria.

Student Visa English Language Requirements

Accepted English Language Tests: IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge Advanced English, Occupational English Test. 

Evidence That You Have Enough Money For Your Stay

If the document checklist requires you to provide evidence of your financial capacity, you must attach proof with your visa application. If you do not provide this evidence, we may refuse your application without asking you for more information.

If the document checklist does not require you to provide evidence of your financial capacity, we may still ask you to present this evidence while we are processing your application.

The living cost we ask you to declare and provide with your visa application is the minimum amount of money you need for the visa. Actual living costs vary throughout Australia and may be much higher than you need for the visa. We recommend you research the area you intend to live in, including the cost of living there.

There are options to prove you have enough money for your stay. These can include evidence of:

• deposits of money from a financial institution
• a government loan or loans from a financial institution
• Scholarships or similar financial support.

Annual income

Alternatively, you can provide evidence that your parents or your partner had a personal annual income of at least AUD87,856 in the 12 months immediately before you apply. If you bring family members, your parent’s or partner’s income must be at least AUD102,500 in the 12 months immediately before you apply.

If both your parents are working, we can consider their combined income. Provide proof of your parent’s or partner’s income, such as tax assessments, which must be 12 months old. We will not accept bank statements or direct evidence from an employer.

Work Out How Much Money You Need For the Visa

At a minimum, you must have enough money to pay for:

• Your travel
• 12 months of your course fees (or pro rata fees if your course is less than 12 months)
• 12 months of living costs for you and any family members who come with you to Australia (or pro rata fees if you are staying less than 12 months)
• School fees for any school-age children who accompany you (or pro rata fees if the child will be at school for less than 12 months).

Use the following information to calculate how much money you need for the visa. To calculate pro rata costs, divide the annual cost by 365 and multiply the result by the total number of days you intend to stay in Australia.

Living costs

12-month living costs are for:

• students – AUD29,710
• partners coming with you – AUD10,394
• A child coming with you – AUD4,449.

Course fees

Use the first 12 months of your course fees. If your course is 12 months or less, use the total cost. Deduct any amount you have already paid – you must provide evidence you have paid them, such as a receipt or Confirmation of Enrolment.

If you are in Australia and your course has already started, calculate the course fee for 12 months and initiate it on the date you lodge your application.

• Example 1: Your course fee is AUD50,000 for 3 years. The fee for 12 months is the total course cost divided by the number of years you will be studying. AUD50,000 divided by 3 years = AUD16,666, less any amount you have already paid if relevant.
• Example 2: Your course fee is AUD15,000 for 10 months, and you have already paid AUD5,000. Deduct the amount you have already paid from the total amount. AUD15,000 – AUD5,000 = AUD10,000.
• Example 3: Your course fee is AUD20,000 for 18 months. The fee for 12 months is the total divided by the total number of months, then multiplied by 12. (AUD20,000/18) x 12 = AUD13,333. Deduct any costs you have already paid.

Schooling costs

If you add any school-age children to your application, add schooling costs of at least AUD13,502 per year for each child. Costs vary between states, territories, and schools in Australia. You are responsible for determining how much the child’s schooling will cost.

You do not have to provide evidence of schooling costs if:

• You are a PhD student and have enrolled your child in an Australian government school where the fees have been waived

OR

• You have received an Australian Commonwealth Government scholarship, including Foreign Affairs and Defence sponsored students, and have enrolled your child in an Australian government school where the fees have been waived.

You must provide evidence that the child is enrolled.

Travel costs

As a guide, when you calculate how much money you need, include:

• AUD2,500 for travel costs if you are applying from East or Southern Africa
• AUD3,000 for travel costs if you are applying from West Africa
• AUD2,000 for travel costs if you are applying from anywhere else outside Australia 
• If you are applying for Australia, the travel cost will be AUD1,000.
• If you are returning to Africa, the cost includes AUD 1,500.

For combined applications

Include the costs and expenses of the primary applicant. For family members also applying for the visa, include:

• 12 months’ living costs (or pro rata)
• Any school fees
• Travel expenses.

Other options

Secondary exchange students can prove they have enough money for their stay by providing a completed Acceptance Advice of Secondary Exchange Students (AASES) form.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) students can prove they have enough money for their stay by providing a letter of support from DFAT. They must also provide proof of the financial capacity of any family members traveling with them.

Department of Defence students can prove they have enough money for their stay by providing a letter of support from the Department of Defence. They must also provide proof of the financial capacity of any family members traveling with them.

Family Members Who Apply After We Have Granted You a Visa (subsequent entrants)

Family members who apply to join you later must also, at a minimum, show us they have enough money to cover:

• The costs and expenses of the student visa holder, including any remaining portion of the 12 months of school fees minus any amount already paid
• 12 months’ living costs for all secondary applicants, including school fees
• Travel costs for all secondary applicants.

Evidence That You Have Genuine Access to The Money

If we ask you to provide evidence of financial capacity, you must prove you can access it. 

If someone else is providing you with funds, give us:

• Evidence of your relationship with them
• Their identity documents
• Evidence of any financial support they have given you or another student visa holder in the past.

If the financial support involves a business, show us proof that the current business is operating.

If you are providing evidence of deposits of money, explain their source.

Any education loan to cover your tuition or living costs should be paid according to the agreement between you, the bank, and the education provider. If you receive any payments before we decide on your application, give us evidence, including the terms and conditions of the loan and the full amount you will be paid.

If you are relying on another kind of loan, provide:

• Evidence of the security you used
• The terms of the loan
• Prove that you can cover ongoing costs.

The best evidence you can provide of genuine access to funds if you are relying on a loan is evidence of disbursement.

Let your provider know any conditions on your education loan. Some loans offer deferred repayment against your future earnings. These loans can be conditional on studying only a specified course with a determined provider.

Overseas Student Health Cover 

You must include proof of paid adequate health insurance for the proposed duration of your visa; see student visa grant periods.

Health insurance must be Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), which has to cover everyone included in your application.

If you do not provide your OSHC in your application form, we will refuse your visa application.

Suppose you or your agent have organized OSHC and included this information on your CoE. In that case, you will include the name of your health insurance provider, the dates your policy starts and finishes, and the policy number in your application form.

If your education provider arranged your OSHC, you must add the name of your health insurance provider and the dates your policy starts and finishes in your application. There is no need to add a policy number to the application form. Remember that there should be no gap in your coverage if you are studying with more than one education provider and both providers arrange OSHC for you. The second policy must begin as soon as the first expires.

Polio Vaccination Certificate

Suppose you are applying from outside Australia and traveling from or spending time in a country considered at risk of polio. In that case, you need to give us a polio vaccination certificate.

Welfare Arrangements and Consent to Grant a Visa for Students Under 18

If you are applying for a student visa and you are under 18 years old, you must have appropriate welfare arrangements in place. This must cover your period of stay or until you turn 18 years, whichever is first. You must also have consent from your parent(s) or guardian(s) to travel to and reside in Australia as an under-18 student.

Prepare your Documents Translate

Have all non-English documents translated into English?

Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. However, on each translation, they must include the following:

• Full name
• Address and telephone number
• Qualifications and experience in the language they are translating

These details must be in English.

Note: You don’t need to have any document certified.

Scan or photograph

• Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in color.
• The scans and photos must be legible.
• If a document is more than 1 page, save it all as 1 file.
• Keep a copy of your completed application.

Apply for the Visa

1. Create or log in to ImmiAccount
2. Attach documents
3. Pay the visa application charge (Visa et al., year 1600)
4. Biometrics collection: Biometrics are collected at VFS Centers in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.