Study in Australia from Nepal: Student Visa 500 Guide (Genuine Student, Work, 485)

If you plan to study in Australia from Nepal, you will apply for the Student visa (subclass 500). This guide covers the Genuine Student requirement, health insurance, work limits and the Temporary Graduate visa you can apply for after you finish.

Checked against official sources in September 2026. Fees, fund amounts and work rules change often, so confirm every number on the official pages linked below before you apply. This is educational information, not legal or immigration advice.

Step 1: Get your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

Accept an offer from a course registered on CRICOS and pay the deposit your provider asks for. The provider then issues your CoE. You need the CoE at the time you lodge your visa application.

Step 2: Prepare your Genuine Student answers

Since 23 March 2024, applicants are assessed under the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which replaced the old GTE statement. In the online form you answer four questions in English, up to 150 words each:

• Your current circumstances: family, community and work ties, and financial situation
• Why you chose this course and this provider
• How the course will benefit you
• Anything else relevant

Back up every statement with evidence: transcripts, work letters, bank and tax documents, and information on your plans after the course. Evidence counts for more than good writing.

Step 3: Health insurance, English and money

• Buy Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your whole stay.
• Show an English test score that meets the level for your course and visa.
• Be ready to show financial capacity (tuition, travel and living costs). Home Affairs sets the current amounts. Check them on the official page, because they have risen more than once.

A step many Nepali students forget: the NOC

Students from Nepal usually need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology before banks will transfer tuition or living funds abroad. Apply for it once you have your offer letter, and check the current process on the ministry’s official website.

Step 4: Apply and pay the fee

Apply online through ImmiAccount. From 1 July 2026 the Student visa application charge starts from AUD 2,500, unless you are exempt. You may also need biometrics and a health examination.

Working while you study

• Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session.
• Unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks.
• Master’s by research and doctoral students have different work conditions. Check your own visa conditions.
• Do not start work until your course has started.

After graduation: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)

• You must usually be 35 or under when you apply (some exceptions apply).
• Post-Higher Education Work stream: for bachelor’s degrees and above. The stay is usually between 2 and 3 years depending on your qualification.
• Post-Vocational Education Work stream: for diplomas and trade qualifications linked to skilled occupations. Up to 18 months.
• You must have held a Student visa in the last 6 months and completed a CRICOS-registered course.

What may change

Australia has changed visa fees, financial capacity amounts, work limits and graduate visa ages several times since 2023. Always check Home Affairs just before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions About Studying in Australia

Official resources

• Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500)
• Home Affairs: Genuine Student requirement
• Study Australia: Student visa guide
• Study Australia: Temporary Graduate visa

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• USA vs Canada vs UK vs Australia
• Managing money and credit abroad
• Finding housing and avoiding rental scams

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