How to apply for a visa extension

You can apply for a further student visa in Australia if your current visa is not subject to a No Further Stay condition and you hold a pre-qualifying visa.

Undergraduate or postgraduate coursework students

Step 1

Obtain a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) using the online request form.

Step 2

Before you submit your visa application, please ensure that you renew your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) if necessary, as OSHC must be valid to cover the entire period of your new expected visa.

Please note:

Your OSHC is not automatically extended with your new CoE. You should contact your OSHC provider for assistance with renewing your cover, if you have OSHC provided by BUPA, contact them directly to extend your policy.
OSHC is required longer than the course end on your CoE to cover the entire period of your stay in Australia.
To be granted a student visa to cover the additional time, you must have a valid OSHC in place. Student visa applicants are advised to consider how much OSHC to purchase, as the visa end date cannot be changed once granted.
We recommend you purchase OSHC for at least 2 additional months to cover result release period of your course and to cover the entire period of your stay in Australia.
Please note, you may require OSHC for a few more months if your course finishes at the end of the academic year. For example, if you complete your course at the end of Trimester 2, your CoE will finish in November/December, therefore, you will be granted a visa until 15 March of the following year, provided you have OSHC until that date). This will cover the entire period of your stay in Australia.

More information on the Department of Home Affairs website

Step 3

Prepare your supporting documentation. Use the Department of Home Affairs document checklist tool to check what you need to attach to your application. This may include:

Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)
OSHC policy
Passport
Statement to satisfy the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement
Evidence of financial capacity.

Step 4

Apply online to the Department of Home Affairs. You will be applying for a Student Visa subclass 500 visa.

You can submit an application yourself, or use a registered migration agent.

When you should renew your visa

You must hold a valid student visa while studying in Australia.

You will need to renew your visa if:

you cannot complete your course before the visa expiry date
you have submitted your postgraduate research thesis
you are going to commence a new course of study.

We recommend you apply to renew your student visa at least 6–8 weeks before it expires.

After you lodge your application

The Department of Home Affairs will send you an acknowledgement letter along with a copy of a bridging visa (for applicants in Australia only).

While your application is being assessed you should:

check the Health Assessment tab in your ImmiAccount to see if health examinations are required.
check your nominated email account regularly for correspondence from the Department of Home Affairs regarding the status of your application.

Refund policy

If you need to submit a Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances application, you must do so even if you haven’t paid (all) your fees yet. You risk being reported for non-payment of fees to the Department of Home Affairs if you have not applied for a remission of debt and this could have a negative effect on any future visa applications.

More information is available in the tuition fee refund policy