Visas

Student Visa

The Student Visa (subclass 500) is a temporary visa that allows you to live, work and study an eligible course in a recognised education institution in Australia.

On receipt of your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), you may apply for a student visa. Step-by-step instructions for new international students to accept your offer and to apply for your visa can be found here.

As an international student on a Student Visa (subclass 500) you must comply with visa conditions at all times. Further information is available on the Department of Home Affairs Website

Renewing your student visa

To continue studying in Australia you must apply for a new Student visa.

It is important that you are aware of your current visa’s expiry date. You can either check the visa expiry date on your Visa Grant Letter or via the Department of Home Affairs’ Visa Entitlement Verification Online System (VEVO). We generally recommend applying for a new Student visa at least 4-6 weeks before your current visa expires.

Step 1: Obtain a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

All students (except Australia Awards Scholarship holders) on a student visa are required to maintain a valid and current CoE at all times.

Under Standard 8 of the National Code, international students are required to complete their course within the expected duration.

ONLY under the following exceptional situations with proper supporting documentation, the University can extend the CoE of a student:

compassionate or compelling circumstances; or
the university implementing its intervention strategy for students who are at risk of unsatisfactory academic progress; or
an approved leave of absence

If you have any of the above situation and need assistance, please contact iss@flinders.edu.au.

*Please note, if you have deliberately under-enrolled, you may not be issued a new CoE.

1. Prepare the supporting documentation

Make sure that all final topic grades are available, including the ones for your currently enrolled topics. Check the Student System
Request an updated study plan from your course coordinator or responsible staff
Enrol in your topics for next semester according to your updated study plan

2. Submit your request for a new CoE

Go to AskFlinders
Complete the online request form:
- Name
- Area – Student Visa / COE
- Enquiry summary – COE extension application
- Enquiry details – Reasons why you need the CoE extension and include from which country you will apply for your student visa renewal
- Attach a file – Updated 'approved study plan'
Click "Submit"

Once you have completed all required actions above, it will take 3-5 business days to have your CoE issued and an electronic copy will be sent to your Flinders email address.

Step 2: Purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

To make sure that your OSHC covers the visa period purchase additional 2-3 months OSHC from the end date of your CoE. For more information click here. When you receive your new CoE Flinders University’s International Compliance team will include the expected expiry date of your new student visa in the CoE comments so that you know for which period you need to purchase OSHC.

Medibank OSHC is the university’s preferred provider to international students. International students at Flinders can purchase Medibank’s Comprehensive OSHC which provides more coverage compared to other OSHC policies.

To order your Medibank Comprehensive OSHC, submit an AskFlinders request to the area ‘OSHC’.

General information about OSHC can be found here.

Step 3: Prepare your supporting documents

Use the Document checklist tool to check what documentation you need to attach to your application.
This may include:

Evidence of your identity
Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
OSHC policy
Evidence of financial capability
Evidence of English language proficiency

If you are required to provide a certified copy of your documents, a Justice of Peace (JP) can certify copies of original documents. You can find information about JP services here.

Step 4: Applying for your Student Visa

You need to apply online for your Student Visa subclass 500 visa either by yourself or by using a registered migration agent.

Health examination

Medical examinations may not always be required for student visa re-applications. If you did not have health examinations before you applied, check your ImmiAccount to find out if you need them. The medical referral letter with your Health Assessment Portal (HAP) ID and further directions is available in ImmiAccount.

Information about arranging your health examinations can be found on the Department of Home Affairs’ website.

_{Refunds and waivers of student application charges}

1. The Department of Home Affairs will waive the visa application fee to allow you to submit a further student visa application if you held a student visa on or after 1 February 2020 and couldn’t complete your course within the original visa validity because of the impacts of COVID-19. This includes if you:

have deferred your study as you were unable to enter Australia because of travel restrictions
were forced to reduce to a part-time study load
were unable to complete your work-based training or placements.

This measure is not intended for students who are applying for a new student visa because of ordinary reasons (including if you have failed a course or a unit of study, deferred for personal reasons or voluntarily reduced your study load).

Additional information about eligibility is available from the Department of Home Affairs.

If you meet the eligibility criteria please complete parts B and C of the Department of Affairs’ form 1545 and submit it via Ask Flinders request to the Area of Student Visa/CoE, including ‘Form 1545’ in the subject line.

2. In addition, student visa holders who are outside Australia and arrived between 19 January 2022 and 19 March 2022 may be eligible for a refund of their visa application charges (VAC). For more information on how to apply for a VAC refund see Getting a refund.