FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

First and foremost, a   course changing process has to strictly follow the conditions that are applying to your Student Visa to avoid the apparent risks of Visa Cancellation.

To assist you with the course change process, we have some helpful tips from our experienced counsellors posted here:

https://www.aeccglobal.com.au/blog/5-things-to-consider-when-changing-your-course-or-university/

• Note: It is highly advised that you have a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor (QEAC) assisting you with the process, ours Qualified Counsellor team at AECC Global are providing the Course Change Service totally FREE of charge. Contact us here.
• To avoid visa cancellation due to non-compliance with visa condition, seek professional advice from a Registered Migration Agent before you change your course. You need to seek legal advice for an informed

There are a large number of institutes in Australia offering academic scholarships for eligible international students with main attention to postgraduate programmes. For details regarding availability and application criteria, you can visit our Scholarships page or book your appointment with one of our experienced education counsellors.

• Note: It might be a bit overwhelming and confusing with the information provided on the institutes’ websites. However, if you are applying or changing for a new course using our free service mentioned above, our experienced team of Consultant will actively assist you in finding and applying for Scholarships.

In changing courses, here are some of the things that you need to be mindful of:

• relevancy of the course you are applying to from your previous/current background (it could be related to a short study/work experience)
• the benefit of the new course for the future to obtain a career progression
• transfer policy of your current course provider

To make the right decision in changing course, talk to one of our education counsellors.

Studying online while in Australia will not affect your application for a 485 visa. If you hold an international student visa and are studying outside of Australia learning online due to COVID-19, your studies may count towards the Australian study requirement for a post-study work visa.

If you are a graduate who held an international student visa, you are also eligible to apply for a post-study work visa outside of Australia if you are unable to return due to COVID-19 and have met the requirements for one.

Yes, you must live and study in a regional area to be eligible to apply for an additional 485 visa. Students need to have graduated from a regional institution and resided (including all work and study) for at least two years in a regional area immediately before applying for their second 485 visa.

If they are non-CRICOS registered short courses, yes you can. However, notice that you can NOT study 2 CRICOS registered courses at the same time.

• Note: “The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) is a register of Australian education providers that recruit, enrol and teach overseas students. Registration on CRICOS allows providers to offer courses to overseas students studying in Australia on student visas.” – Australian Skills Quality Authority.

You can work for ​more than 40 hours a fortnight if you are:

• employed by an aged care Approved Provider or Commonwealth-funded aged care service provider with a RACS ID or a NAPS ID, before 8 September 20​20
• employed by a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme provider
• enrolled in a healthcare-related course and you are supporting the health effort against COVID-19, as directed by health officials
• employed in the agriculture sector

Yes, you can apply for a COVID-19 visa. The visa grant duration will depend on your circumstances. It can be up to 3 months for a person unable to leave Australia. A person who works in either the health sector or agriculture, including food processing sectors, can be up to 12 months.

Yes, a former 485 dependent visa holder can apply for a 485 visa as long as the primary applicant provides evidence that they meet the 2-years Australian study requirement. To know more about courses and visas, you can visit our virtual office on weekdays from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm.

A course can enable a student to apply for Skilled Migration PR pathways ONLY IF the course leads to an Occupation which is listed in the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL). We have sorted out the most popular courses (by the field) that can lead you to PR here:

https://www.aeccglobal.com.au/blog/which-courses-are-eligible-for-pr-in-australia/

• Note: Please understand that the Occupation might NOT share the exact same name as the course you are studying, and you will be required to acquire the Skill Assessment from the corresponding Assessing Authority to be considered as eligible to apply as the Occupation.

At the time of this writing, all Occupations in the MLTSSL would require at least 70 points to receive the invitation for PR. So most students, especially those with less than Superior English (8.0 all bands IELTS or equivalents), will have to look for other ways to increase their points for PR.

There is this checklist of possible methods to increase your points, make sure you check it out: https://www.aeccglobal.com.au/blog/cracking-the-pr-code-via-the-points-test/

• Note: In case the checklist above cannot help you to get the PR already, then our Registered Migration Agents would be offering to assess your case in a one-on-one session FREE of charge. Book your appointment HERE.
• There are many options to get extra required points like NAATI, a high score in approved English test, partner’s points etc. You have to understand that each case is different so seek professional advice with registered migration agent for the options that best suits you.

There is a Genuine Entrant Criteria that any student visa applicant must meet for the visa to be granted. Moving from 485 visa to student visa is tricky due to this criterion. You can minimize the risk by submitting student visa application with strong GTE statement.

Yes, it is. However, you cannot ignore the risk due to GTE concern. The visa application must be supported by strong evidence of your genuine intention to study. Each case must be handled on a case by case basis.

• Note: In order to make sure that you know the risks, our Registered Migration Agents would be offering to assess your case in a one-on-one session FREE of charge. Book your appointment HERE.

If the main applicant is studying a Master’s or a Doctoral degree, partner can work full-time or no limit.