Before you apply for this visa, you must have:

• been accepted to study full-time in a registered course at an educational institution in Australia
• organized appropriate welfare arrangements for the duration of your intended stay in Australia if you are under 18 years of age.

Please check details following: http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/500-

• Enrolment
• Packaged courses
• Students under 18 years of age
• Genuine temporary entrant
• English language requirements
• Acceptable English language test score
• Financial capacity requirements
• Documentary evidence of financial capacity
• Health insurance
• Health
• Character
• Pre-qualifying visas
• Family members applying to join you
• English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS)
  School students
• Documents

The Working Holiday Visa is meant for persons between the ages of 18 to 30. Australia has entered into reciprocal working holiday agreements with the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Malta, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany and countries of Scandinavia (namely Denmark, Sweden and Norway).

As of now there is no provision for citizens of any other country to apply for this visa. It is likely that some more countries may be added to the list of eligible countries in due course.

A permanent residence visa allows the holder to live and work indefinitely in Australia. You are eligible for state medical care immediately, but must be resident in Australia for two years before qualifying for social welfare assistance (i.e., unemployment benefits) in most cases. You are not permitted to vote as a permanent resident in Australia. This changes when you obtain Australian citizenship provided you meet the eligibility criteria. Please contact us to find out if you are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship.

There are a number of factors which the Australian Government considers before granting Australian citizenship. Eligibility criteria are complex and need minute attention to detail.

An Australian permanent resident entitles you to certain privileges. With a permanent visa, you are allowed to:

• live and work in Australia permanently
• study in Australian schools and universities
• access subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)
• be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residence eligibility criteria)
• propose or sponsor people for permanent residence

Yes, in most cases you will need a visa to enter and remain in Australia.
New Zealand citizens or a permanent resident of Norfolk Island who meet certain requirements do not need a visa to visit Australia for a short stay. Citizens of all other countries must obtain an appropriate visa prior to their travel to Australia. All transit passengers who need to remain in Australia for more than 72 hours need only a transit visa which is issued free of cost.

There is nothing that can prevent you from lodging more than one visa application at any time. However, you are expected to meet the criteria in respect of each application that is under processing by DHA.

Note: An applicable fee has to be paid for each application.

Visa expenses other than the application cost include Skills Assessment Fee, IELTS Test, Visa Application Charge (payable to the Department of Home Affairs), Medical Examination, Penal Clearances and nominal documentation charges. It is important to note that the Government can change the visa application charges at its discretion.

Visa fees vary across visa types; it is best to check with your migration consultant to arrive at the specific costs associated with your visa application.