How to Modify Your Visitor Visa to Student Visa Australia: A Complete Guide

Visitor Visa to Student Visa Australia - Overview

Australia - the initial thought that strikes one's mind after hearing this name might be the reputation for being the smallest continent in the world. However, apart from being the holder of this unique reputation, Australia is a hub of unparalleled beauty, attractive cities and natural wonders, and a large portion of our world population craves to attach themselves to this country at any cost. The biggest proof lies in this scenario wherein many tourists choose to kickstart their student life once they comprehend the merits offered by the nation.

No, we are not exaggerating! Nowadays, there are many individuals who initially enter the country as tourists and convert their visitor visa to student visa Australia. So, if you have been imagining this idea of switch from visitor visa to student visa Australia as your own brilliant creation, then, we are extremely sorry to say that you are wrong! However, be happy, as we have dedicated an entire blog for you to keep as a source for an exclusive reference on how to convert tourist visa to student visa in Australia. 

Why Students Are Largely Converting Their Visitor Visa to Student Visa Australia in 2024?

With breathtaking geographies and landscapes, Australia is a beauty one must explore at least once in their lifetime. Such an alluring atmosphere has captivated the interests of several international students and immigrants from other countries from their boring urban lives. This is often found as an initial trigger for many individuals to visit Australia. On the other hand, there are also sections of students who wish to explore the country first, before confirming their academic tenure in Australian universities. In both cases, these individuals attain tourist visas to enter the country on a primary basis. The rich academic infrastructure, a plethora of the world's leading universities, preferable workplaces and a diverse cultural lifestyle, complimented with charming surroundings, collectively pull these folks towards the country. Several surveys have suggested the large-scale conversion of visitor visa to study visa in Australia in recent times, and many of the survey participants have largely stated the modernistic academic scenario and job prospects as major reasons for their change of plans after visiting the country. 

Is it Easy to Change Your Australian Tourist Visa to Student Visa?

Australia is undoubtedly a perfect destination to live, study, work and settle. However, due to the overflow of students from other nations to the country, the government has strengthened the criteria by adding visitor visa to student visa Australia new rules to the existing ones to keep an eye on this consistent flow. However, there is some good news if you are an Australian tourist visa holder. Though the entire process can be a bit troublesome, you can go on with changing the status of your visitor visa to student visa through the help of expert academic advisors. Generally, the conversion is carried out after departing from the country and forwarding the application from outside Australia. Nevertheless, in some cases, you can complete it while staying here using the assistance of visa industry experts. 

Can You Change All Tourist Visa to Student Visa in Australia?

The majority of the Australian academic programs are scheduled for more than three months. Therefore, it is mandatory to convert your visitor visa to student visa in Australia, if you wish to study a course from a premier university. Further, tourist visas have more advantages over other types of visas in terms of their future conversion. Thus, consider yourself lucky if you possess any of the following tourist visas due to their eligibility for transition: 

Visitor Visa (Subclass 600)

These visas are eligible for an Australian stay of twelve months and are intended for tourism and business purposes. 

eVisitor Visa (subclass 651)

This electronic visa is somewhat similar to a visitor visa but comes with a stay allowance of only three months for tourism or business reasons. 

Electronic Travel Authority Visa (Subclass 601) 

Though this visa allows you to visit Australia for business or tourism for twelve months, only a few specific countries are included in its eligibility criteria.

There are Some Brownie Points If You Are Not an Offshore Candidate!

The best part of being eligible for upgrading your Australia tourist visa to student visa is that you are not an offshore candidate anymore, and such applications have the greatest advantage. Some of them are listed below:

•    You won't have to firmly establish your financial sources or funding anymore.
•    You are already a financially stable applicant in front of the Australian authorities.
•    You are already considered as someone capable of funding your educational expenses in Australia.
•    If you have any dependents, you don't have to stress about prooving their financial expenditures and funding support anymore.

Which are the Documents to be Submitted to Shift Your Australia Visitor Visa to Student Visa?

Our experts have created a list of documents which are mandatory to be submitted before the authorities to finalize your change from tourist visa to study visa Australia. The following list is based on the latest regulations introduced for those who are applying for student visas on or after 23rd March 2024.
•    Personal Documents: You are required to submit copies of your birth certificate, documents proving your identification, passport, etc.  
•    Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE): You must submit the offer letter received from your prospective institution.
•    Genuine Student (GS) requirement: The GTE is now replaced with GS which includes targeted questions to convey an overview of your profile to the authorities.
•    Student Visa Declaration: Along with GS you must submit a declaration stating your comprehension about being a genuine student in Australia, adherence to follow the rules and notify the Department of Home Affairs, in case of any change in circumstances and acceptance of your circumstances that allow or make you ineligible for a stay in the country.
•    Academic and Work Experience Details: You must submit your past academic details and work experience history, if any, before the authorities to strengthen your application to convert your Australia visitor visa to study visa.
•    Language Skills: As per the latest rules, the English test scores have been raised from 5.5 to 6.0 for student visas and 6.0 to 6.5 for temporary graduate visas. So, prepare accordingly.
•    Health Insurance: You must produce your health check-up results, along with health insurance details, as both are mandatory for successful tourist to student visa Australia conversion.
•    Financial Background: You must convince the authorities about your financial eligibility to study the course.

Make Sure to Check Off These Pointers While Applying for Australia Tourist Visa Convert to Study Visa

Getting into the whole process of updating your Australia visitor visa to student visa is a very crucial scenario wherein you cannot afford to have any obstacles or mistakes stopping you. So, to be on a safer side, ensure that you have ticked off these prerequisites:

•    You must have a well-explained statement of purpose to establish why you are making this change of decision.
•    You shouldn't have any academic gaps or you must be able to defend the same with solid reason.
•    You must have a proper justification for any previous visa rejections.
•    You must not have an 8503 agreement, which implies ‘No Further Stay’ imposed on your tourist visa.
•    There must not be any pending criminal records against you.
•    You should have stable financial backing.

Keep a Note of These Australian Visa Conditions 8503 Before converting Your Visitor Visa to Student Visa Australia:

•    If there is a Condition 8503 (No Further Stay) imposed on your Australian visa, it means you cannot apply for another visa to extend your stay in the country. 
•    Be it a tourist visa, if you have a Condition 8503 stamped on it, you will be stopped from further application for another visa beyond your visa validity period
•    If there is a Condition 8503 imposed on your visa, you must depart the country to make another visa application.

Conclusion

We hope this blog helped you discover several factors regarding the upgradation of a visit visa to student visa in Australia. Irrespective of its tedious nature, such a conversion is an excellent window for students to navigate the progress of their academic lives. Living and studying in Australia is a dream of many. However, with skilled academic advisors by your side, you can directly witness it being a reality with ease. Let us know in the comments about your opinions about the blog, and if you have any queries, reach out to our team to get it sorted on the spot! 

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Frequently Asked Questions?

Yes. Anybody can upgrade their Australian tourist visa to a student visa, especially if you come clean in your criminal records or background. However, the duration and procedures can slightly vary according to your personal circumstances.

No. Work visas require a different set of approaches and procedures to earn them. However, you can try to convert your Australian visiting visa to a study visa and further strive to obtain a work permit.

The financial funding needed to establish your eligibility to remain in Australia, normally depends on the monetary requirements of the course you are planning to pursue. Therefore, you must sort this part first, to get an exact idea about the required bank balance.