If you’re an international student studying in Australia, you probably know that your Australian study permit isn’t a lifetime pass. It can expire if your program gets delayed for any reason and when it does, you need to renew it.
It’s important you renew it before it expires to continue your educational journey hassle-free, without renewing your expired study permit, you won’t be allowed to continue your studies in the country.
You have to discontinue your studies and leave the country as soon as possible, international students are not allowed to study in Australia without a study permit or with an expired one, if your study permit is about to expire, follow this guide to renew it to avoid having issues with the immigration authorities.
Australian Study Permit
Your Australian study permit which is officially known as a Student Visa (subclass 500) allows you to study in Australia – that is the main purpose. It is usually granted for the duration of your course, and it comes with some conditions you need to meet.
When your visa is about to expire and you are still in Australia, you need to renew it to continue studying. Without renewing it, you must leave the country – that’s how it works.
When to Renew Your Visa
The first thing to keep in mind is timing. You can apply for a renewal of your student visa when you’re still in Australia and your current visa is about to expire. Make sure you apply before your current visa runs out, this is because overstaying your visa has serious consequences.
Australian Study Permit Renewal Process
Before you start the renewal process, you need to check your eligibility for renewal.
Check your eligibility
If you notice that your visa is about to expire and have decided to renew it, the first thing you need to do is to check your eligibility for renewal – check if you qualify to renew your visa.
To qualify for renewal, you must:
- Be enrolled in an eligible course.
- Have maintained satisfactory course progress.
- Have health insurance (Overseas Student Health Cover – OSHC) for your entire stay.
- Have no outstanding debts of any kind to the Australian Government.
- Meet health and character requirements.
Preparing your documents
After checking your eligibility and you are qualified for renewal, there is one more thing you need to do before you start the renewal application process, you need to gather all your documents.
You need documents like:
- Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE) from your school.
- Your valid passport.
- Proof of financial capacity to cover living costs and tuition fees.
- OSHC policy details.
- Passport-sized photos.
- A completed application form (the form is available on the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs website).
Online Application
Now that you have gathered all the documents that you need for the application, what you need to do next is to start the online application process.
Follow these steps:
- The first thing you need to do is to create an ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website.
- Once you finish creating your account, you need to complete the online application form.
- Upload all required documents.
- Pay the application fee (you can use a credit card or PayPal).
- After paying the application fee, do not forget to upload every required document – the same documents you gathered in the previous step
- Once you are done, submit your application and exit the page.
Waiting for a decision
After you’ve submitted your application and provided any requested additional information, you have done your part excellently well, now you have to wait for the immigration authorities to do theirs. You can check the status of your application through your ImmiAccount.
Approval
If you submitted a complete application; that is, you provided all the required documents, and filled the form accurately, your application will be approved.
Once your application is approved, you’ll receive a Grant Notification letter. Congratulations! Your new student visa is valid, and you can continue your studies in Australia.
What if your visa Renewal is Denied?
If your application is denied, do not panic, it’s a common occurrence but here is the thing, the Department of Home Affairs will provide reasons for the refusal.
If it’s a mistake in the form you submitted, you can correct it and apply again. If you need more help, you can seek advice from your school’s international student’s office.
Conclusion
If you are an international student in Australia, you have to monitor the date on your study permit (student visa), it lasts for the duration of your program but should there be any issue that delays your program and your visa expires before the end of your program, you need to renew it before it expires.
To renew your visa, start well in advance, gather all the required documents, fill out the application form, and submit, your application will be approved if it meets the entire application requirements.
