If your Student Visa is about to expire, don't panic! You may still have more time to stay in Australia, especially if your visa expires between November and December, you may have up to four more months on your visa!
Depending on the course you chose to study, the length of your stay in Australia may vary. Extra time may be granted once you finish the course you are studying.
Student Visa Length of Stay in Australia
The length of time the Student Visa lasts always goes hand in hand with the duration of the studies you are going to undertake.
Depending on the course length:
- Less than 10 months, generally, you will be granted with a Visa stay period of one month longer than the duration of the course.
- 10 months or longer, finishing from January until October, you will probably get a Visa for two additional months beyond the duration of the course.
- 10 months or longer, finishing at the end of the Australian academic year (November to December), you will probably be granted a Visa overstay until 15 March of the following year.
Yes, you got that right! If your studies end between November and December you can stay until March 15th of the following year!
What should I consider when seeking to extend the duration of my Student Visa?
If you are seeking to get this additional Student Visa time, you must demonstrate that you have the OSHC in place for that whole period.
The 'expiry date' of your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is also taken into account for the extra time extension. You should at least cover OSHC for the duration of the course, but also for the extra months you are willing to stay.
For example, if your current studies run for one year and end on the 30th of August, you will be able to extend your Student Visa until the 30th of October, as long as you have OSHC up to that date.
You should consider this when deciding how much OSHC to acquire, as the end date of your visa cannot be changed once it has been granted.
Keep in mind that there is a maximum length of stay for a Student visa, which will generally be no longer than 5 years.
Postgraduate Research Students Length of Stay
Postgraduate research students' length of stay is generally 6 months in addition to the usual period of stay stated before. This extra time enables postgraduate students to remain in Australia for the interactive qualification of their thesis.
What can I do with my Student Visa extra time?
You probably have thousands of bucket list ideas to do with your extra time in Australia, but if you need a bit of inspiration we can help you with some ideas so you can make the most of the time you have left!
- Travel: pretty obvious! Australia is one of the most exotic destinations to discover. Whether you like adventure and nature or you like to immerse yourself in the excitement of a new city, you will find thousands of options for all budgets. My recommendation: travel around Australia by van or camping, you won't regret it!
- Work and save: Australia is one of the best paid countries, if you want to save a little or just want to catch up on the costs of this wonderful experience, this is a very good opportunity!
- Learn a hobby: We all know that Australia is a surfer's paradise, so why not give it a go? You'll find you'll enjoy the process too. For those of you who are a bit more laid back, you can also take the opportunity to practice yoga or meditation in beautiful places like Byron Bay.
- Extend your Visa: If you think your experience in Australia is not over yet, you can extend your Student Visa. Contact us and we can help you choose the option that best suits your needs.
