Version 1.2 | 17/04/2018
This information is a summary of student visa information and conditions. This information applies to overseas students on a Student Visa.
A Student Visa is essential for an overseas student to enter and stay in Australia to study our approved Tertiary Courses. You should make sure that you can meet the requirements for a Student Visa before you accept an offer from us and pay any tuition fees.
Steps to apply for a Student Visa
- You must first receive a Letter of Offer and Student Agreement from us – this is part of our application process.
- If you decide to accept our Offer, you must sign the Student Agreement and return it to us.
- We will send you an invoice for your first payment. This must be fully paid to us before further steps (below) can proceed.
- We will send you an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) by email.
- You apply for your Visa through the Australian Department of Home Affairs. You must have your electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) before you commence your application.
These steps (above) can take a number of weeks or months to fully complete. It is important that you commence the process as soon as possible to ensure you can enter Australia with your Student Visa in time for the commencement of your course.
Overseas Student Health insurance
See Overseas Student Health Cover
Course progress policy
See Course Progress
Completion of course within the expected duration of the electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE)
Students must complete their course within the duration specified in their eCoE and must not exceed the allowable portion of online or distance learning.
However, we may extend the duration of the student’s study where it is clear that the student will not complete the course within the expected duration, as specified on the student’s eCoE, as the result of:
- compassionate or compelling circumstances e.g. illness where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes, or where PAFT was unable to offer a pre-requisite unit; or
- we were implementing its intervention strategy for students who were at risk of not meeting satisfactory course progress; or
- an approved deferment or suspension of study has been granted.
Compassionate and compelling circumstances
Compassionate or compelling circumstances are generally those beyond the control of the student, and which have an impact upon the student’s course progress or well-being. These include, but are not limited to:
- serious illness or injury, where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes; or
- bereavement of close family members such as parents or grandparents; or
- major political upheaval or natural disaster in the home country requiring emergency travel when this has impacted on the student’s studies; or
- a traumatic experience which include:
- involvement in, or witnessing of a serious accident
- witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime.
The following additional situation would be considered a ‘compelling’ circumstance, and could support the granting of an extension of the duration of a student’s study:
- if the student had failed occasional units throughout the course, but had not done so poorly as to be picked up by the provider’s intervention strategy for course progress.
Extending visas
A student visa is a temporary visa that allows you to come to Australia for a specified period of time to study at an Australian educational institution such as ours. It is important to be aware of the expiry date of your student visa as you must either depart Australia before it expires, or lodge a new visa application.
Working whilst studying
If you are interested in working part time to earn extra money while you are studying, please refer to this information. If you decide to work while you study, you will need a Tax File Number (TFN) – this is a requirement for any job in Australia. Apply for a TFN.