Australia Students Visa for Nigeria Students

The Australian government has made a few changes to the student visa. A few rules have been put forward, and you must know about them in detail. This particularly applies to those pursuing Postgraduate research courses and other higher courses. The Department of Home Affairs may cancel your student visa if you do not abide by the new rules. The new visa conditions are as follows:

• 8204A: A student visa holder will no longer be legally able to change their thesis or research topic, or course of study; unless the Minister approves it by a change in writing and when the Minister is satisfied that there is no unreasonable risk of unwanted transfer of critical technology by the student.

• 8204B: A student will not be legally able to change their course of study/research or thesis/research topic for bridging any course for a Master’s or Doctoral degree or a graduate certificate, graduate diploma, postgraduate or doctoral degree. The student cannot change these unless the Minister approves it in writing and the Minister is satisfied that there is no unreasonable risk of unwanted transfer of critical technology by the student.

• Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485): This visa will help international students to live, work, and study in Australia. It is valid for up to 18 months but can even be extended for four years. Almost 90% of the applications will be processed within 13 months.

• Independent ELICOS Sector Visa (Subclass 570): This visa is mainly for those students who go to Australia to study the ELICOS (English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students). You will need an acceptance from the institute, a good English proficiency score etc., to be eligible to get the visa.

• Vocational Education and Training Sector Visa(Subclass 572): All students who wish to go to Australia for a vocational course can apply for this visa. You will be allowed to study full-time vocational and training courses like Diploma or Advanced Diploma, and Certificate I, II, III, IV.

• Schools Sector Visa (Subclass 571): This visa is for international students who wish to study in primary or secondary school in Australia. It can be a primary school, secondary school, junior and senior secondary etc.

• Postgraduate Research Sector Visa (Subclass 574): This visa applies to students who wish to pursue Postgraduate research or a PhD in Australia. You will be permitted to bring your dependent children, dependent relatives, and partners. Both you and your family members will have unlimited working hours.

• Higher Education Sector Visa (Subclass 573): Students who wish to do a higher education course like Bachelor’s Degree, Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate etc., in Australia may opt for this visa.

• Foreign Affairs or Defense Sector Visa (Subclass 576): This visa is for those international students sponsored by AusAID or Defense to study in Australia. You must enrol with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions or Courses for Overseas Studies (CRICOS).

• Genuine Temporary Entrant (GRE): If you have to gain entry to Australia, you will need to prove that you are a genuine entrant to the country who wishes to study there and return to the home country after completing the course or after gaining relevant work experience.

• Enrolled in a full-time program: You will need to get admission to a full-time program at any Australian University. Only full-time students fall under the Subclass 500 category. Part-time and distance learning students will not be considered eligible.

• Good character: You need to prove that you have a good character and no criminal background. You should never have been deported from Australia before. Often, a simple written declaration will be accepted. 

1. Non-Immigrant visa application.
2. Health insurance receipt.
3. Valid passport.
4. Application fee payment receipt.
5. Confirmation Of Enrolment (COE) form from a recognised Australian University.
6. Acceptance letter from your host university.
7. Financial capacity documents.
8. English Proficiency test scores.
9. Recent photographs.
10. Statement Of Purpose (SOP).
11. All academic documents.

• Fill out the application form: The first step you need to do when applying for a student visa is to fill out the application form. You can read the form carefully and fill them out. It contains all the basic details about you and can be quickly filled up. But first, you need to open an ImmiAccount and fill in the details there.

• Upload the required data: At this stage, you are required to upload all the documents like passport size photographs, academic documents etc. Before you start filling out your application form, it is better to have scanned copies of all the needed documents. After you finish uploading them, you can submit them.

• Book an appointment with TLScontact:  The TLScontact works with the Australian government to provide all the services for Nigerian students travelling to Australia. You will find TLScontact offices in Abuja and Lagos.

The average time to process an Australian student visa application is one month. However, it may even extend for up to three months. The number of days is dependent on the visa processing officer and the educational institution.

The post-study work permit allows international students to stay and work in Australia after the completion of their studies. This duration can vary according to the region and qualification. However, it is generally between 18 months to six years. There are three types of post-study work permits:

• Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) - Post-Study Work Stream: This is the most common type of visa obtained by recent graduates from Australia. Regardless of your course and institution, you can stay back in Australia for two to four years.

• Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) - Graduate Work Stream:  This applies to students who have qualifications in skilled occupations in Australia. The stay duration is up to 18 months.

• Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa (Subclass 476):  This is for engineering qualifications students. You can stay back for up to 18 months after completing your course.

The conditions may vary from university to university. So it is better to look for the precise information on the university website before applying for a scholarship. If you feel stuck in the middle or even at the beginning of a process, contact AECC Global or visit one of our nearest branches. Our expert counsellors will guide you through each of the single methods and help you realise your abroad education dream.