A number of different visa types allow you to study English in Australia, including Visitor Visas for short courses, Student Visas for full-time, longer courses and even Working Holiday Visas which allow English study as part of your stay in Australia.
Selecting the right visa comes down to the length of your course and the overall reason for coming to Australia.
The different visa types that allow for English study in Australia include:
- Student Visa for longer study
- Visitor Visa for short courses
- Training Visa
- Work and Holiday Visa
- Working Holiday Visa
Student Visas - For longer courses (up to five years)
Student Visas are designed for long periods of dedicated study in Australia.
They allow you to:
- Study an eligible course for up to 5 years
- Include family in your application including your partner, child or partner’s child
- Travel in and out of Australia
- Work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course of study is in session.
If you have a Student Visa you must:
- Notify your education or training provider of your residential address within 7 days of arriving in Australia
- Meet your course requirements, remain enrolled and maintain satisfactory attendance and course progression
- Maintain adequate health insurance for visa holders for the whole of your stay in Australia,
- Be older than 6 years and have a welfare arrangement in place if you are under 18 years of age, and
- Not over-stay your visa period in Australia.
Applying for a Student Visa
Student Visas take around a month to process, but those timeframes can vary depending on a range of factors.
To apply for a Student Visa, you will first need to enrol at a recognised Australian education provider and receive a Confirmation of Enrolment.
Student visa fees cost from AUD$1600 per visa application, unless you are exempt.
You can learn more about applying for a Student Visa (Subclass 500) here.
Visitor Visas - Short English courses (up to three months)
There are three different types of Visitor Visas that allow for short periods of English language study in Australia.
They are the Visitor Visa (subclass 600), Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) and eVisitor (subclass 651).
Each of these Visitor Visas allows you to study for a maximum of three months.
To be eligible for a Visitor Visa you must:
- meet health and character requirements, and
- provide proof that you have sufficient money to support yourself during your stay in Australia.
The costs of these visas, their processing times and eligibility criteria vary.
Visitor Visa (subclass 600) - Visitor Visas allow people to visit Australia for 3, 6 or 12 months for the purposes of tourism, business, or to visit family.
They cost $195 if you apply from outside Australia and $490 if you apply in Australia. Processing times take around seven days.
You can learn more about the Visitor Visa (subclass 600) here.
Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) - Electronic Travel Authority visas allow you to visit Australia for up to three months as often as you wish in a 12-month period for the purposes of:
- Visiting family or friends
- Taking a cruise or having a holiday
- Undertaking some business visitor activities
To be eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority you must apply from outside Australia, have an eligible passport, and use the Australian ETA app.
The cost is $20 to use the app, and the processing time is instant.
You can learn more about the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) here.
eVisitor (subclass 651) - eVisitor visas allow you to visit Australia for a period of up to three months as often as you wish in a 12-month period for the purposes of:
- Visiting family or friends
- Having a holiday
- Undertaking business visitor activities
- Study or training for up to three months
You can learn more about the eVisitor (subclass 651) here.
Working Holiday Visas - Short English courses (up to four months)
Overseas visitors looking to travel to Australia as part of the Working Holiday Maker Program are eligible to study English for up to four months during their stay.
This program includes two types of visas:
- The Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462)
- The Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)
The application fee for each of these visas is $650 with processing times ranging from 24 hours to 18 days, depending on demand.
Working Holiday Visas allow you to:
- Have an extended holiday in Australia
- Work here to help fund your trip
- Stay for up to 12 months
- Study for up to four months
To be eligible for these types of vIsas, you must:
- hold a valid passport from an eligible country
- be aged 18 to 30 or 35-years-old (depending on your passport country) at the time of visa application
- not be accompanied by dependent children
- meet health and character requirements, and
- have sufficient funds for airfares and to support your stay in Australia.
Further information on the Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) is available here.
Further information on the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) is available here.
Training Visa - Workplace Training or Development (up to 2 years)
The Training Visa (subclass 407) is a temporary visa that allows you to take part in workplace-based training or professional development in Australia for up to two years.
This visa allows you to undertake occupational training activities to improve skills for your current job, area of tertiary study or field of expertise.
The application fee for this visa is $415 and the processing time is three to 10 months.
This visa allows you to:
- Take part in workplace-based training
- Take part in a professional development program
To be eligible for this visa, you must:
- Be sponsored
- Be nominated
- Be invited by a Commonwealth Government agency
Further information about the Training Visa (subclass 407) is available here.
Student Guardian Visa
A Student Guardian Visa allows a parent or guardian to accompany and support a child aged under 18 during their studies in Australia.
The duration of the visa depends on the duration of the child’s studies and also the age of the student visa holder.
The Student Guardian Visa costs $1600, and processing times average one to three months.
This visa allows you to:
- Support and provide care for a child younger than 18 who is studying in Australia
- Care for more than one student
- Study an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) for less than 20 hours per week, or any other study or training for no more than 3 months
To be eligible for this visa, you must:
- Be the student's parent, custodian or relative who is 21 years or older
- Have and show evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself and the student during your stay
- Have adequate health insurance in place
- Be able to provide accommodation, welfare and other support
This visa does not allow you to work in Australia.
Further information about the Student Guardian Visa is available here.
