DO YOU KNOW THAT VISITOR VISA CAN BE CONVERTED TO STUDENT VISA?

This is entirely possible, provided that you meet the following conditions:

– The visitor visa you are holding is under the Tourist Stream.

– Your visitor visa does not have the condition “No further stay” in the visa. This condition restricts the visa holder from submitting any other visas in Australia

– You are eligible to be able to apply for an institution and apply for a student visa.

So, what are the conditions to apply for an institution and a student visa?

In order to advise on the most suitable choice for your case, SET Education will need to know the following information:

– What is the ultimate goal of your study abroad? (To have an international degree? To improve your skills? To look for an opportunity to settle down? Or other personal reasons?)

– What course are you interested in?

– What is your budget for studying abroad?

– What is your current English proficiency?

– How long is the visitor visa valid for in order to calculate the risk factor and plan for your case. For example, some programs like nursing will require you to have IELTS 7.0 in English, do you have enough time to take the test? Or at some institutions, the processing duration is 4 to 6 weeks, whether your visa has enough time left to wait?

When should you convert your visitor visa to student visa while in Australia?

– You can convert at any time if you meet the institution and visa requirements outlined above.

– One piece of advice from SET Education is not to convert as soon as you arrive in Australia to travel but take a little more time to research the choice of institutions and courses carefully and be well-prepared for your student visa application.

– Some courses only allow you to start studying when an official student visa is issued, for example a high school course. Therefore, you should consider if you are able to tolerate this condition.

– For international students under the age of 18, you should only convert a visitor visa to student visa if you have a blood relative in Australia who is eligible to act as a guardian. The reason is that students under the age of 18 always need guardianship. With the form of homestay arranged by the school or approved by the school, you are only allowed to stay when the official student visa is valid.

What are the documents needed to convert visitor visa to student visa?

1. Passport

2. Current visitor visa

3. School records, transcripts, degrees with translations

4. English language certificate which is valid within 2 years (if any)

5. Information about your relatives, history of studying abroad

6. Financial proof

7. Health insurance for international students

What will the cost be:

Almost the same as the cost that you will have to spend when making documents from Vietnam. The costs you will need to prepare are about $2,000 for immigration fees and tuition for the first semester of the course of your choice. SET Education provides a completely free of charge service if you apply for a school through us.

For more details about the application process as well as to receive advice for specific cases, please contact SET Education

(Written by Van Anh Nguyen – SET Education)

About the author

Ms. Van Anh is a former international student in Australia, currently, she is the former Office Manager at SET Education in Melbourne.

As a professional study abroad consultant (she has a certificate of ICEF – the largest organization in the international education industry) with more than 10 years of experience in the field of study abroad counseling, Ms. Van Anh has supported assisting thousands of international students in choosing the right majors and schools as well as helping them whenever they have difficulties in matters other than studying such as housing, finding a part-time job, settling in Australia, etc.

Contact Ms. Van Anh via:

Hotline: +61 452 290 295

Email: vananh.nguyen@set-edu.com