Meeting your visa conditions
Your student visa is issued with conditions that you need to meet. If you fail to meet the conditions, your visa may be cancelled. You cannot remain in Australia if your visa is cancelled.
The kinds of conditions you may need to meet are:
- You need to notify the university of your current Australian residential address within seven days of arriving in Sydney
- If you later move house, you need to notify us within seven days of your change of address.
- You need to maintain a full-time load; unless you have approval from your Academic Adviser or you are enrolled in your final semester of your degree.
- You must now maintain visa length overseas student health cover insurance.
- If you do paid or unpaid work, you cannot work more than 20 hours each week during semester.
- For full degree students, you need to maintain a satisfactory academic progression to ensure you complete your degree prior to your Student visa expiring.
- For full degree students, if you take leave of absence from your degree , you need to obtain approval from your Program Authority.
If we become aware that you have failed to meet your visa conditions, we may have to notify the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
More information
In 2011, a review of the Australian Student Visa system was undertaken, and changes will be implemented over the next two years, visit the Australian Department of Immigration website for more details. You may also contact an International Student advisor at Student Development – International on the ground floor of the John Goodsell Building:
Phone: 9385 5333
Email: international.student@unsw.edu.au
Bringing your children to Australia
You can bring your children with you while you study in Australia. If they are of school age, they must attend school and you must pay their fees. (If you are studying under a scholarship or are undertaking a doctoral program, you may be exempt from paying fees.)
Permanent residency
If you decide that you would like to live in Australia permanently, you need to complete your study before you can apply. However, you may be eligible to apply for permanent residency on the basis of marriage or refugee status or if you are continuing your studies at a higher level. If you become a permanent resident, you will then be regarded as an Australian student, not an international student. For instance, you will compete with Australian students if there are limited places for your course of study.
