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Student visas. If you’re an international student, you can’t leave home without one! But the process of applying for a student visa may seem daunting when you first start searching for the perfect course abroad.

So make sure you know exactly what you can – and can’t – do, and get your visa application sorted quickly and painlessly.

There are five key things that will determine your eligibility for a student visa.

1. Your acceptance letter

You can’t apply for a student visa until you’ve been accepted into a course in that country. And to be accepted into a specific course, you’ll need to understand the language level required, the academic results required, and the student tuition fees payable.

If you meet all the criteria the university or college requires, you’ll most probably meet all the criteria the embassy or consulate requires as well!

Check first that your course meets the local registration requirements for a student visa. For example, your Australian course must have a CRICOS provider number – which means it is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. In New Zealand it must be approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). In the UK, your college must have a Tier 4 Sponsor Licence.

The length of your course may also determine the type of student visa you’ll get. If your studies involve less than 15 hours per week (18 hours in the US), or take less than 3 months, you may need to enter on a visitor visa instead – and that will limit your ability to work while studying.

Did you know? If you are a national of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you will not need a student visa to study in the UK.

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