Checklist - Student Visas

• Payment of the visa application charge in Australian Dollars (AUD$), by credit card, money order or bank cheque payable to the Department of Immigration & Citizenship – this MUST be submitted for the application to be valid.
• Please refer to the following link for instructions for payments by Chinese postal Money Order for applicants residing in China - click here
• Please refer to the following link for a list of agents participating in Electronic Visa Application Lodgement for Assessment levels 2-4 (China based agents page 1 – 3) - click here
• A fully completed and signed student visa application form (Form 157A)– this MUST be submitted for the application to be valid.
• A fully completed and signed student visa application form (Form 157A)– this MUST be submitted for the application to be valid.
• A fully completed and signed family composition form (Form 54).
• A copy of this checklist indicating which documents you are providing at time of application.
• Copies of the details page of the passport of each person included in the application (if held) DO NOT PROVIDE YOUR PASSPORT AT THIS STAGE.
• Copies of the identification card of each person included in this application.
• If your correspondence address is in China, four completed self adhesive name and address labels in Chinese characters.
• If your correspondence address is not in China, four completed self adhesive name and address labels in English.
• One passport sized photograph, not more than six months old, of each person included in the application.
• Clear certified copy of each page of your hukou (a form of household register).
• If you are under 18 years of age and / or if your parents are involved in providing financial support for your studies, a certified birth certificate for you, showing the names of each of your parents.
• If your grandparents are involved in providing financial support for your studies,
  • a certified birth certificate for you, showing the names of each of your parents, AND
  • a certified birth certificate for your parent, showing the names of each of their parents.
• If your brother or sister is involved in providing financial support for your studies,
  • a certified birth certificate for you, showing each of your parents, AND
  • a certified birth certificate for your brother / sister, showing each of their parents.
• If you are under 18 years old and will not be living in Australia with at least one parent or legal guardian:
  • a signed undertaking from each education provider for your accommodation, support and general welfare in Australia OR (if relevant)
  • a statutory declaration from a relative aged over 21 resident in Australia who has been nominated in writing by your parents and who will be responsible for your accommodation, support and general welfare in Australia AND
  • certified birth certificates and legal documents in evidence of each link in the relationship AND
  • original police certificate(s) from each country the nominated relative has lived in for more than 12 months in the last 10 years (see Form 47P).

  Please note: A relative eligible to be nominated as a carer includes a brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, step-parent, step-brother, step-sister, step-grandparent, step-aunt, step-uncle, step-niece, or step-nephew.

• If you are under 18 years old,
  • original letter of consent from each of your biological parents to you going to Australia to study and live AND
  • a copy of each of your parents' identification cards.
• If you have a spouse, notarised copy of your marriage certificate. For recent marriages and de facto relationships additional supporting documents should be provided attesting to the genuineness of the relationship.
• If you have any children, for each of your unmarried children who are under 18 years old, including those who are not included in the application, notarised copy of birth certificates, showing the names of each of the parents.
• If you have any children, for each of your children who are included in the application and who have turned 5 years old or will turn 5 years old in Australia, an original letter of offer from the Australian school which that child will be attending.
• If you have any children, for each of your children who are included in the application, who have not turned 18 years old yet and whose other parent will not be living in Australia, an original signed letter of consent from that other parent to that child's travel to and stay in Australia and a notarised copy of their identification card.

Educational and Language

• Original Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) or Acceptance Advice for Secondary Exchange Students (AASES) letter from each Australian education provider at which you propose to study - this MUST be submitted for the application to be valid. Each CoE should indicate your proposed entry level, course name, CRICOS course and provider codes, proposed start and end dates and the full tuition fees for the course. Note that if an English language course is a requirement of the visa category and no CoE for such a course is provided, the application will be refused.
• Clear notarised copies of your formal educational qualifications. The formal education requirements vary according to the subclass being applied for. Please refer to: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/
• If you are applying to attend a secondary school, an original letter from your current school showing your year level and class.
• Certified or notarised copies of your English Language Test score (the test must have been taken within 2 years before the date of application lodgement)if evidence of an English Language Test score is required.
  • Please refer to the following link for further information on English Language Tests for Student Visas; http://www.immi.gov.au/students/english-requirements.htm
  • Please refer to the following Frequently Asked Questions regarding the implementation of Alternative English Language Tests for Student Visas.
  • Click here if you are applying for a subclass 571 visa, are 16 years of age or older, and you are seeking waiver of the English Language Test requirement, you must complete the “Supplementary Form Student Visa Subclass 571 (Schools Sector)” form and attach the necessary evidence and letter of support. The form can be found at this link: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/1252.pdf

Financial Capacity

• For information regarding student visa living costs and evidence of funds - click here
• If you and / or any of your spouse, parent(s), grandparent(s),sister(s), brother(s), uncle(s) /aunt(s) are involved in providing financial support for your studies, original letters from each of those persons’ current or most recent employer detailing position(s) held, salaries and other employment based forms of income paid (bonus, dividends or allowances), and dates of employment with that workplace.
• If your aunt/uncle is providing financial support they must be usually resident in Australia and either an Australian citizen/permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
• If you and / or any of your spouse, parent(s), grandparent(s), sister(s), brother(s), certain uncle(s) / aunt(s) are involved in providing financial support for your studies, clear notarised copies of documents evidencing all non-employment based sources of income of those persons.
• Please Note: Non-employment based sources of income may include evidence of business interests, share portfolios etc and the documents may include tax assessment documentation, business licences etc. The documents provided should clearly demonstrate any income stream.
• Evidence that you have funds from an acceptable source that are sufficient for the purposes of your application.
• Acceptable sources of funds are:
  • Evidence, such as a loan certificate or notarised copy of a letter, from an acceptable financial institution stating that you and / or any of your spouse, parent(s), grandparent(s), sister(s), brother(s), certain uncle(s) / aunt(s) hold a loan for a specified amount and with a term covering at least the designated period.
  • The use of loans is acceptable for subclasses 570, 571, 572, 573, 574 and 575. The period for which you must provide evidence of funds may vary with your assessment level and education sector of study. For more information on these requirements, please refer to the application document checklist for the subclass applicable to you. See: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/
    • AND/OR (if relevant)
  • Evidence of cash deposits that you and/or any of your spouse, parent(s), grandparent(s), sister(s), brother(s) have held for the designated period of time immediately before the date of application lodgement. The period for which you must have held the funds may vary with your assessment level and education sector of study. For more information on these requirements, please refer to the application document checklist for the subclass applicable to you. See: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/chooser/. Evidence of cash deposits may include:
    • Clear notarised copies of certificates of deposits that show funds are up to date and were still held by the bank at time of application, AND
    • Clear notarised copies of bank passbooks and / or bank deposit slips, relevant to the certificates of deposit.

      INTEREST SLIPS ALONE ARE NOT CONSIDERED TO BE ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE OF THE SIZE AND DURATION OF CASH DEPOSITS

    In China, acceptable financial institutions for our purposes for both loans and cash deposits are:

    • Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
    • Agricultural Bank of China
    • Bank of China
    • China Construction Bank
    • Bank of Communications
    • CITIC Industrial Bank
    • China Everbright Bank
    • Hua Xia Bank
    • Guangdong Development Bank
    • Shenzhen Development Bank
    • China Merchant Bank
    • Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
    • Industrial Bank
    • China Minsheng Bank
    • Ever-growing Bank
    • China Zhe Shang Bank
    • Bank of Hangzhou
    • Bank of Shanghai
    • ANZ Bank
    • Bank of Nanjing
    • Standard Chartered Bank China
    • HSBC Bank (China)
    • Qilu Bank
    • China Bohai Bank Co., Limited
    • OCBC Bank (China) Limited
    • Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank
    • Citibank (China) Co. Ltd.
    • Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Jiyuan) County Bank Co., Limited
    • Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Dengfeng) County Bank Co., Limited
    • Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Lankao) County Bank Co., Limited
  • Clear notarised copy of evidence that you have sufficient financial support from either: your education provider; or, the Australian Government or the government of an Australian State or Territory; or, the national government of a foreign country; or, a multilateral agency.