Six New Rules for Studying in Australia in 2024

From 1 November 2023, applicants for temporary visas in Australia may be required to undergo a Health Examination, as short-term measures for such applicants will cease.

Those renewing student, tourist and transfer visas in the country will need to hurry up and submit their applications, meaning that renewing a visa after 1 November will cost $441 for a Health Examination.

Six New Rules

In the QS World Rankings 2024, Australian universities can be considered to have raised eyebrows. Nine universities entered the top 100, including the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney, among the world’s top 30!

It is probably due to the influence of the rising rankings that more students are applying to study in Australia, and the momentum of studying in Australia is very favourable. ……

With countries worldwide recruiting talent, the Australian government has updated several new policies relevant to international students this year. And compared to previous policies, the changes can be said to be very big. So let’s take a look together!

Increase in Deposit Requirements 

Not long ago, the Australian government announced that it would increase the proof of deposit required for international students to apply for a student visa.

Due to the pandemic, the amount has not been raised since 2019 and has been AUD 21,041. However, from 1 October 2023, the bank deposit amount for applying for an Australian student visa has been increased by 17 per cent to at least AUD 24,505

This adjustment considers the higher cost of living that students may encounter during their stay in Australia.

The increase is intended to keep up with the current cost of living so that international students can afford to pay their way during their studies and are not at risk of being exploited due to the urgent need for employment. The Australian Government’s swift action also underlines its commitment to upholding the reputation and values of the international education sector.

In conclusion, students applying for admission after this autumn will have to put more money in their accounts when applying for a student visa in order to prove that they can survive in Australia.

Increase in Working Hours and Hourly Rates

Previously, to solve the severe labour shortage problem, the Australian government temporarily relaxed the working hours limit of student visas.

The good news is that the maximum number of hours international students can work from July this year has been reinstated!

The time cap has also been changed to 48 hours, 8 hours more than the previous cap. The minimum hourly wage has also increased to $23.23!

International students who want to work after school will have more opportunities!

Prohibit Enrolling in More Than One Course

According to Reuters, the Australian government will immediately close a loophole in the visa rules, known as the “parallel COE” rule, which allows international students to enrol in additional courses while enrolled in their main course.

Initially, COEs were enacted to allow international students to gain knowledge of their primary programme and additional training that would help them get a job by taking additional courses.

However, investigations have found that parallel COE has slowly become a tool for many immigrants from other countries to exploit the loopholes.

Staying in Australia under the guise of studying while working and attending classes is naturally not allowed. So, the Australian government has begun to impose restrictions on half-work, half-study:

According to the latest reform of the federal government, international students are no longer allowed to transfer from university to vocational courses until they have been studying for six months and have obtained a Release Letter from the school before they can transfer.

Many Universities No Longer Recognise Online Language Grades

A number of Australian universities, including the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University, have announced that they will no longer recognise online language test scores.

Australia currently accepts the following English language tests:

• IELTS (IELTS), including Single Subject Skills Retake (OSR)*
• PTE
• Cambridge English (CAE)
• OET (test developed for health professionals)

Extension of Visa for Graduates of Certain Professions

From July, graduates in education, medicine, nursing, IT, engineering, agriculture, food and other disciplines can apply for an extension of their work visas for two or even up to 6 years. In other words, the original Australian 485 subclass visa time becomes:

• 2-4 years for an undergraduate degree in some specialisations
• 3-5 years for postgraduate students in some specialisations
• 4-6 years for all PhDs

Increase in Full-time Employment for International Students

Student visa holders can work full-time in the aged care industry without any restriction on the working hours of the student visa and can change employers.