Some international students wish to visit a country before making a decision on whether or not to take up a study program abroad. If you’re the type of person who needs to get a better view of the campuses and universities, their curriculum, meet professors and get to know more, then this blog is for you.
Visitor visas for Australia can be granted for up to ten years, during which you can stay up to a limited period each time you enter. That said, when potential international students want to first get a taste of the Australian living standards, including the study program options, the visitor visa can be their best option. However, when you decide that Australia is where you want to study, you could convert your visitor visa to a student visa without leaving the country. This means you don’t need to leave Australia; you can study and extend your stay without restrictions.
Why bother converting your tourist visa to a student visa?
Australia is a great place to study, work and live with a quality of life and many reputed Educational Institutions to choose from. If you are planning to study in Australia after obtaining a tourist visa, then it’s highly likely that your course is not going to be less than three months. Most tourist visa types do not allow applicants to engage in any studies or training of more than three months. Converting your Tourist Visa to a Student visa allows you to study your desired course and stay until the duration of your study without having to leave the country.
There are also a ton of advantages that come with converting your tourist visa.
For instance, you can choose the course and education provider where you do not have to show sponsorship and financial support. An offshore applicant will usually need to show proof of sufficient funds to cover the following:
- Tuition fees
- 12 months of living expenses for the applicant and their accompanying family members
- Two-way travel cost for the applicant and their accompanying family members
- School costs of any school-aged dependents
However, the financial requirement is not mandatory for all applicants if you are converting your tourist visa to a student visa in Australia. It depends on the assessment level of the country of the passport the applicant holds, and the education provider s/he chooses to study.
Another reason is, as we mentioned before, you get to experience the Australian way of life before making your decision. You get to experience the way of the foreign land and become accustomed to life in Australia. It’s a great way to also start searching for accommodation, know more about the local areas, check out the cuisine and possible future workplaces.
You can also check your options for universities, and check the campus, talk to students and network with them. This process would help you prepare for the journey ahead.
Converting your visitor visa into a student visa
If you’ve decided to convert your visitor visa, then you can extend your stay in Australia by getting a student visa (Subclass 500). This visa conversion will not affect your student visa application process.
Firstly, it’s important to know about the visitor visa you have applied for, as there are mainly three subclass visitor visas:
- Subclass 651 – eVisitor
- Subclass 601 – Electronic Travel Authority Visa
- Subclass 600 – Visitor Visa
If you have the Subclass 651 visa, then you can stay up to three months at a time each year. This visa is primarily used as a tourist visa or for business purposes.
The Subclass 601 Visa permits you to stay up to 12 months with three months at a time on multiple visits. Again, this visa allows you to visit Australia as a tourist or for business purposes. This visa can only be obtained by certain visa holders from specific countries.
Finally, Subclass 600 is a fit for all visas, wherein you can stay up to 12 months. This visa can be applied for if you want to visit Australia as a tourist, are sponsored on a family visa, on a business trip, are a frequent traveller, or are on an ADS visa. The ADS or Approved Destination Status visa is a type that allows Chinese tourists to travel in groups in Australia. This type of visa takes at least six to nine months to process. However, the Subclass 600 is comparatively cheaper and costs about $150.
However, you should know that while applying for any of the visitor visas or converting them to a student visa, you shouldn’t hold any bad records. Bad records can range among the following:
- Unexplainable study gap
- Low financial stability
- Case filed against you
- Previously rejected student visa
- Poorly written SOP (Statement of Purpose)
- No IELTS
- Working during visitation
- Have an 8503 or “no further stay” condition applied on your Visa
If any of the above conditions match with your current status, then you can get help from a migration expert consultant to guide you in straightening matters to a great extent.
If you meet the below criteria, you’ll be good to go.
- Good academic history
- Minimum or higher than 5.5 IELTS score
- Clear and accurately written SOP
- A good work experience history (depends on each individual)
- No unexplainable study gaps
- Strong financials
- No 8503 conditions on your Visa
If you need more assistance with understanding whether the process of converting your visitor visa to a student visa is right for you, reach out to our expert consultants. You can also check if you are eligible for a visitor visa by making sure you have a good travel history, have no criminal records, and have a valid reason for visiting Australia.
If you want to know more about visa application in Australia or want to learn about additional preparations, feel free to read the other sections on our website.