Visa information
If you accept an offer to study at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), you will require a visa that allows study before you can enter Australia and undertake that study.
Once you accept your offer, you will need to arrange your visa through the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
The DIAC website provides complete information about visa types and restrictions.
The links below will help you get started.
- Student visa
- Streamlined visa processing (SVP) – Student visa
- Packaged programs with USC educational business partners
- Genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement – Student visa
- Tourist visa
- Working holiday visa / Work and holiday visa
- Other visa types
- Visa entitlement verification online (VEVO)
- Post study work arrangements - temporary graduate visa
Student visa
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for a Student visa you must receive a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for a full-time, on campus, CRICOS* registered program of study at USC.
When can I apply?
Once you have accepted your offer, and paid the required fee as detailed in your Letter of Offer, USC will provide you with a CoE. You can apply for your Student visa once you have your CoE.
Please note you cannot apply for your Student visa if it is more than 124 days prior to your program commencement date (the course start date on your CoE). You need to wait until there are fewer than 124 days before your course commencement date to successfully submit your visa application.
How to apply
Most applicants can apply for their Student visa online via the electronic visa application (e-visa) service. In some cases, a paper application may be required. The paper-based application form is form 157A – Application for a Student visa (PDF 422KB).
Instructions for Applying for a Student visa (PDF 75KB) can be found on the DIAC website.
You will also find more information for Student visa applicants including Student visa conditions, conditions for working while studying, extending your stay or bringing family.
Streamlined visa processing – Student visa
Streamlined visa processing (SVP) arrangements are available for prospective international students with a CoE from USC at Bachelor, Masters or Doctoral degree level.
Applicants for these eligible programs benefit by USC’s involvement in the SVP arrangements as their Student visa applications will be assessed as though they are a lower migration risk (similar to the current Assessment Level 1), regardless of their country of origin.
This means that there will be reduced ‘evidentiary requirements’ or a reduction in the documentation applicants will be required to submit with their Student visa application, and the application processing time will be reduced.
Programs eligible for SVP
Eligible applicants are those enrolled in:
- Bachelor degrees
- 2 plus 2 (or 3 plus 1) arrangements with partner universities
- Masters degrees by coursework
- Masters degrees by research
- Doctoral degrees
- English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and/or foundation and other preparatory courses, including Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, which are explicitly packaged with an eligible university course at the time when the offer of enrolment is made
- Semester or year-long non-award courses at a university in Australia as part of their home university’s degree course and/or as part of an agreed student exchange between universities.
Packaged programs with USC business partners—SVP
If an applicant is intending to study a package of courses, each course component must be provided by either the eligible education provider or an educational business partner of the eligible education provider, for the visa application to be assessed under SVP.
Applicants who want to apply for a package of programs that will be delivered by more than one registered education provider and includes an eligible SVP program at USC, may have their Student visa application assessed under SVP if the other registered provider is one of USC’s Educational Business partners as listed in the Commonwealth of Australia Migration Legislation 1994 – ‘Eligible Education Providers and Educational Business Partners’.
University of the Sunshine Coast educational business partners
| Educational Business Partner | CRICOS Provider Number |
|---|---|
| Southbank Institute of Technology, trading as: Southbank Institute of Technology |
03020E |
| Sunshine Coast English College Pty Ltd, trading as: Lexis English Noosa, Lexis English Sunshine Coast |
01632D |
| Vocational Education and Training, trading as: Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE |
02004B |
Genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement – Student visa
Student visa applicants must be both a GTE and a genuine student to be granted a visa.
To be granted a Student visa, applicants must satisfy DIAC that they have a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily.
Factors that are considered to be a genuine applicant for entry and study as a student include:
- English language proficiency
- financial capacity
- prerequisite schooling
- age requirements
- intention to comply with visa conditions.
Factors that DIAC considers as part of the GTE requirement include:
- circumstances in the applicant’s home country
- the applicant’s potential circumstances in Australia
- the applicant’s immigration history
- the value of the course to the applicant’s future
- any other matter relevant to the applicant’s intention to stay temporarily.
More informationabout the GTE requirement.
Tourist visa
A Tourist visa will allow you to study full-time or part-time for up to 12 weeks.
If you enter Australia on a Tourist visa and intend to study for longer than 12 weeks, you will need to apply for a Student visa.
For more information visit the DIAC website.
Working Holiday / Work and Holiday visa
Working Holiday or Work and Holiday visas are only available to citizens of certain countries.
Applicants must be under 30 years of age and will be allowed to study full-time or part-time for up to four months.
If you enter Australia on this type of visa and intend to study for longer than four months, you will need to apply for a Student visa.
For more information visit the DIAC website.
Other visa types
If you hold, or intend to apply for a visa other than a Tourist, Working holiday, or Student visa, and you intend to study, you must contact DIAC for advice regarding your eligibility to study.
Visa entitlement verification online (VEVO)
Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) allows visa holders to check visa details and entitlements and to check on the progress of visa applications.
VEVO is a free, online service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that means you no longer need a visa label in your passport.
Find out more information about VEVO .
Post study work arrangements - temporary graduate visa
The Knight Review of the Australian Student visa program recommended new post-study work arrangements to be introduced in 2013. You can find information about the recommended Temporary graduate (subclass 485) (PDF 78KB) visa on the DIAC website.
Other useful information includes:
Post Study Work Arrangements – Recommendation 4 (PDF 80KB)
Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa (DIAC website)
Skilled – Graduate (Temporary) visa (Subclass 485) (DIAC website)
Implementation of the Government Response to the Knight Review of the Student Visa Program (DIAC website)
*CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
The University of the Sunshine Coast is a registered provider of education to international students as defined in the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (CRICOS Provider Number: 01595D).