(Updated July 2021)
Many student visas might expire soon and one really common question we receive is “How much money do I need to extend my stay in Australia?”. Therefore, we have prepared some tips to take into consideration if you are planning to renew your student visa and the price of what you need to prepare upfront. Basically, there are three main things you need to consider: Visa fee, Student insurance and the first payment you have to make to the school to get the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). Other costs associated could be English tests or medical examinations.
- Student Visa application fee is $630 as main applicant. If you are applying with your partner you would need to add $470 and for each child $155. Please add and extra $700 for each person, if you are renewing your visa for the second time inside Australia.
- Renewing your Overseas Student Health Cover. There are many options to choose from. Prices range from $45 to $55 AUD per month. However, you need to pay the full duration of your visa upfront. For a 2 years course this is roughly $1300AUD (single).If you are applying with a dependant or children, the prices increase considerably.At EMSA, we can offer you a discounted price for this type of policies.
- Tuition Fees. To cover this, most of the schools are offering payment plans to the onshore students so don’t worry as you can make a payment from $500 to secure your place, get your enrolment done and be able to apply for your next visa.
When making the visa fee payment, please bear in mind that the Immigration Department charges around 1.1% for payments done online, which is the only method of payment available. This payment is a non-refundable fee regardless if the visa is granted or not.
Remember, if the main applicant has dependents (spouse and kids) then an additional fee needs to be put on the top of the initial $620 For instance, if the applicant has a spouse, there is an extra $420 to be paid. In this case, the total payment would be $630 + $470 + $1,400 (if the applicants are renewing visas for second or more times inside Australia). If the applicant has a spouse plus one kid, then an extra $150 has to be included in the payment. In this case the total payment would be: $630 + $470 + $155 + $2,100 (if the applicants are renewing visa for second or more times inside Australia).
As we mentioned above, the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) has to be paid 100% upfront at the moment we are applying for your student visa so saving money to make this payment would be a good idea. Some of the most popular Insurance Companies that are accepted by the Department of Home Affairs for student visa applicants are:
- BUPA
- AHM
- Allianz
- Medibank
- NIB
- CBHS
All these companies offer pretty much the same Insurance Policy for International Students, however, if you wish to make sure what does and doesn’t cover, we will suggest you check their websites, as you will find detailed information.
About the tuition fees payment, as the schools are aware of the expensive visa fee payments and that this might affect the student’s financials, some of them offer flexible conditions for the first instalment.
Finally, depending on the program and the requirements you need to show to immigration, you need to add to your student visa costs, the English test which is around, $330 and medical examinations that are about the same price. Given the amount of money you have to prepare, it’s very important you choose the right course from the beginning.
We have prepared an infographic with the Top 6 Occupations to study to gain residency in Australia. This file will show what you can study that, we believe, have higher chances to help you getting PR in Australia.
To know more about the visa fees calculation and school fees in instalments, please contact our Education Team as we will be more than happy to help you!