La visa de estudiante (subclass 500): cuánto cuesta y cómo funciona el proceso
El cargo del gobierno, la prima de OSHC que nadie incluye en su presupuesto, qué puede y qué no puede cobrarle un agente educativo, y la diferencia entre una oferta de curso y una visa.
Esta es información publicada sobre cómo funciona el sistema. No es immigration assistance ni asesoramiento legal, no puede tener en cuenta sus circunstancias, y puede quedar desactualizada en el momento en que cambie un arancel o una norma. Solo un agente de migración registrado (registered migration agent) o abogado australiano habilitado (Australian legal practitioner) puede asesorarle sobre su propia solicitud. Describa su caso y varios de ellos responderán por escrito, gratis.
The student visa is the most common Australian visa where people are helped by somebody who is not a registered migration agent — because education agents are paid by the education provider rather than by the applicant, which is entirely lawful. It is also the visa where that arrangement most often quietly turns into something that is not.
This is what the process costs and where the line sits.
The government charge#
A fecha de 1 July 2026:
| Solicitante | Cargo |
|---|---|
| Solicitante principal | $2,500 |
| Solicitante adicional de 18 años o más | $1,870 |
| Solicitante adicional menor de 18 | $610 |
También hay un cargo posterior por solicitud temporal in some situations where you apply while already in Australia on another temporary visa.
Student visa charges have moved sharply in recent years. Check the current figure at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au antes de presupuestar.
The costs people forget#
Overseas Student Health Cover#
La principal. OSHC is a condition of the visa and must be held for the todo el período de la visa, usually paid up front.
Rough planning figures:
| Cubrir | Por año |
|---|---|
| Soltero | $600 – $800 |
| Pareja | $3,000 – $4,000 |
| Familia | $4,500 – $6,500 |
A single student on a three-year visa is looking at roughly $2,000 before tuition. A couple with a child, considerably more. This is not a visa charge, but it is money you must spend to hold the visa, and it is routinely absent from the first conversation.
Todo lo demás#
| Concepto | Típico |
|---|---|
| Examen médico | $350 – $600 per person |
| English test (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL) | $395 – $500 per sitting |
| Police certificates, where required | $30 – $200 each |
| traducciones NAATI | $40 – $90 por página |
| Migration agent's professional fee, if you use one | $800 – $2,500 |
Tuition and the deposit required to obtain a Confirmation of Enrolment sit on top of all of it, and are usually the largest number by far.
How the process runs#
- Choose a course and provider. The provider must be registered on CRICOS.
- Apply to the provider and receive an offer. You accept it and usually pay a deposit.
- The provider issues a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). This is the document the visa application needs. An offer letter is not a CoE.
- Organizar OSHC for the full period.
- Prepare the application, including the genuine student requirements, your financial capacity evidence and English evidence.
- Complete health examinations when the Department directs.
- Presentar y pagar the visa application charge.
- Espera. Processing varies enormously by provider risk level, country and completeness of the application.
Education agent or migration agent?#
This is the part worth being precise about, because the difference is a criminal offence.
Un agente educativo helps you choose a course and a provider, handles the enrolment paperwork, and is paid a commission by the provider. That is legal, useful, and normally costs you nothing.
A registered migration agent advises on and prepares the visa application. Only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner may do that for a fee.
Many people do both jobs. Plenty of education agents also hold a MARN, and those are the ones to look for if you want one person handling everything.
An education agent who charges usted una tarifa por ayuda con la solicitud de visa, without being a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner, is committing an offence under section 281 of the Migration Act. The penalty reaches ten years. It does not matter what the fee is called on the invoice.
¿Qué preguntar?#
- Are you charging me anything, and what for exactly?
- Are you being paid a commission by the provider? By which provider?
- Do you hold a MARN? What is it?
- Who is preparing my visa application, and are they registered?
An education agent paid only by the provider, doing only enrolment, needs no MARN. The moment they are charging you for visa work, they do.
The commission question#
An education agent's commission comes from the provider. That is a real conflict of interest — not a hidden one, and not necessarily a problem, but a reason to ask which providers they represent before accepting that a particular college is the right fit.
Do you need a migration agent for a student visa?#
Many people lodge successfully without one. Consider getting one if:
- you have a previous visa refusal, anywhere
- you have studied in Australia before and are changing course or level
- your financial evidence is complicated — a sponsor, a business, funds from several sources
- you are bringing a partner or children
- you are close to a threshold on English or funds
- something in your history is hard to explain briefly
Lo que este artículo no puede decirle#
Whether you meet the requirements, whether your evidence is enough, whether your course choice creates a problem, or what to write in any part of the application. Those are questions about your case, and only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner may answer them.
Describa su caso and several of them will tell you, in writing, for free.
Preguntas que hace la gente#
Is OSHC included in the visa charge?#
No. It is separate, it is a visa condition, and it usually has to be paid before you lodge. Budget it as a real cost from the beginning.
Can I work on a student visa?#
Student visas carry work conditions, and those conditions have changed several times in recent years. The current limit and how it applies to your particular visa and course is a question for a registered agent or the Department — not for a website that may be six months out of date.
My education agent says they will "handle the visa too" and it is free. Is that fine?#
Possibly, if the person doing the visa work is registered — ask for the MARN and check it. If nobody involved is registered and they are charging you nothing at all for the visa work, the section 281 offence is not made out, but you are relying on an unregulated person for a legally consequential document with no professional indemnity insurance behind them and nobody to complain to.
What happens if my course changes or I fail?#
Student visas carry conditions about enrolment and progress, and providers report to the Department. If something goes wrong with your enrolment, speak to a registered agent early. This is one of the situations where a small amount of timely advice is worth a great deal.
How long does it take?#
It varies enormously — by provider, by country, by how complete the application is. The Department publishes current processing times; treat any single number quoted by anybody else as a guess. Nobody can speed the Department up, and an agent who says they can is breaching the Code.
Leer sobre ello es la mitad lenta
Describir su caso toma unos diez minutos y no cuesta nada. Agentes registrados y abogados de inmigración responden con presupuestos escritos desglosados — sus honorarios y el cargo del gobierno mostrados por separado — y su nombre no se revela a ninguno de ellos hasta que usted elija uno.