An offer letter gets you a CoE. It does not get you a visa. The subclass 500 is refused far more often on the Genuine Student requirement than on money or grades – because the case officer is asking whether this course, at this stage of your career, makes sense for you. That question is answered in writing, and most refused applications answer it badly.
| Requirement | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| Confirmation of Enrolment | Issued by the institution after you accept the offer and pay the deposit |
| Genuine Student | A written response explaining your course choice, your circumstances and your intentions |
| English | A test score meeting the provider and Department thresholds, or an accepted exemption |
| Financial capacity | Tuition, living costs and travel, evidenced with a documented source |
| Health cover | Overseas Student Health Cover for the whole visa period |
| Health and character | Medical examination and police clearance where required |
This replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant test, and it is now a structured set of questions rather than a free-form statement. The Department wants to see the thread running through your history: what you studied, what you have done since, why this course now, and what it does for you afterwards. A gap in study, a course unrelated to your degree, or a second masters in the same field is not fatal – but it has to be explained. Silence on it is what gets read as a problem.
The financial requirement is not just a balance on a page. The Department looks at where the money came from, how long it has been there, and whether the person providing it plausibly has it.
Our page on bank statement requirements covers the documentation in detail.
| Reason | How it is avoided |
|---|---|
| Weak Genuine Student response | Answer each question specifically, with your own history in it |
| Unexplained funds | Source every deposit before lodging, not after a request |
| Course unrelated to background | Address the change of direction directly rather than hoping it passes |
| Undisclosed prior refusal | Disclose it. It is discoverable, and non-disclosure is worse than the refusal |
| Document inconsistency | Names, dates of birth and marks matching across every certificate and the passport |
Student visa holders can work limited hours during study and unrestricted hours during scheduled breaks, with the cap set by the Department and subject to change. After completing an eligible qualification, the Temporary Graduate visa allows a period of full-time work – the length depends on the qualification and where you studied. That period is where a permanent pathway is usually built, through skilled or state-nominated routes rather than through the student visa itself.
Dependants can be included, but the financial requirement rises for each, and school fees for children may apply. Adding family members after lodgement is possible but slower than including them at the start. Our article on bringing dependants to Australia sets out the conditions.
Sometimes. Some providers accept alternative evidence of English, and there are exemptions. The Department requirement and the provider requirement are separate – both have to be met.
Processing times are published by the Department and vary by provider level and country. Lodging well before the course start date matters more than any estimate.
No, but the new application has to answer the exact ground of refusal. Resubmitting the same file rarely works.
There are restrictions, particularly early in the visa and when moving to a lower qualification level. Take advice before changing rather than after.
The whole file is prepared from our Hyderabad office and lodged online. What needs local planning is the biometric appointment, the medical where one is required, and police clearance – the item people consistently start too late. We sequence those so nothing expires before the decision.
Send us your academic history, the course you are considering and your funding position. We will tell you whether the Genuine Student case holds together before you pay a deposit. Talk to our Australia education team in Hyderabad.
Deciding whether to trust a consultancy? Read what our clients say, and the checks worth running on any firm before you pay.
