Securing an Australian Student Visa is one of the most crucial steps while planning to study abroad. Every year, more than 900,000 students move to Australia to pursue higher education. The total Australian student visa rejection rate in 2020-2021 declined 32% from 2019-2020. Hence, students are advised to carefully examine the documents required like the financial stability of 20,000 AUD, an acceptance letter from the university, and a minimum of 6.5 bands in IELTS.
Reasons for Australian Student Visa Rejection
Not-Fulfilling Entry Requirements
An Australian student visa is only granted to students who have a fixed plan to study in Australia. The government takes in consideration the fact that students are coming to Australia to study further with no aim of flashing the facts. To ensure that genuine students come to Australia, the government has a criterion named GTE. Genuine Temporary Entrant is an integrity measure to figure out that the applicant is coming only to study and not to get further residency in Australia.
To clear GTE, international students are required to submit a written statement along with an application that explains the reason for arrival in Australia. If the statement fails to prove genuine evidence and facts, then there are fair chances of Australian student visa rejection. Some other factors required for GTE verification are mentioned below:
- Course availability in the home country
- Level of knowledge and education for the proposed course
- Planned accommodation
- Financial Stability
- Immigration History
- Past Australian Visa Statements
Academic Qualification Failure
A student applying for an Australian student visa must meet the academic requirements for the program chosen. Every university has its own set of requirements and similarly, every program has different academic qualifications. A student must possess the required skills and academic ability to apply for an Australian student visa. If failed to do so, then the officers might reject the visa application. Additionally, if a student has poor academic background then a statement explaining further academic plans to cope up with Australian education must be submitted.
Failure in Meeting English Language Requirements
A student coming from an international home country is required t prove proficiency in English. To do so, various English language tests are accepted in Australia. The most popular tests are IELTS and TOEFL. The minimum acceptable score is 6.5 bands in IELTS and 80 in TOEFL-iBT. If a student fails to prove their proficiency through these tests then there are chances of getting Australian student visa rejection.
Failure to Prove Financial Stability
Another factor that concerns Australian student visa is financial stability. Students planning to study in Australia are required to prove that they are capable to pay tuition fees and the cost of living in Australia. However, at present 20,000 AUD is required to prove financial stability to students which vary with time. If a student is moving to Australia to study with a deposit or support from any other source (relatives, financial institute) then documents proving the same are required. A valid proof of relationship with the sponsor, identity, and funds are required to be submitted to visa officers.
Invalid Documentation
Proper documents should be submitted by overseas students to get an easy Australian student visa. Students must note all the documents and prepare them accordingly to decrease the chances of rejection. Some of the documents required are mentioned below.
- Birth Certificate.
- Passport identity page
- Certificate of Enrolment (CoE)
- A statement purpose
- All pages of the Household Registration Book.
- Evidence of financial stability
- Evidence of qualifications and associated transcripts.
- Evidence of any scholarship awarded for pursuing your studies in Australia.
- A Curriculum Vitae certified by local authorities
- English language test certificate
- Valid Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Unacceptable International Student Health Cover
A student planning to study in Australia is required to go through some mandatory health checkups and fulfill the criteria of healthy well-being. Apart from this, OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is also required for studying in Australia. The OSHC should be applied for a total duration of study in Australia and the proof for the same should be submitted during the visa application.
Intentions Behind Moving to Australia
A valid statement proving the intention behind moving to Australia is required to be stated. The Australian embassy officers take into consideration the fact that students are moving to Australia only for study and with no intention to work or start a business. If a student is planning to work part-time in Australia during studies then it should be mentioned in the application beforehand.
Past Criminal Record
Australia as a country is very particular about criminal incidents. A student even with a minor criminal background will not be allowed to get an Australian student visa. However, if a student has a minor criminal incident, it needs to be mentioned in the application.
What to do After Australian Student Visa Rejection?
If an Australian student visa gets rejected then students have the right to appeal to AAT. Within the 28 days of student visa rejection, the applicants need to submit the appeal letter for reconsideration. The appeal time varies on the reason why your visa was rejected and the type of visa.
Once process, the AAT will review your application for
- Reasons for your study
- Your Immigration history
- Other related details
Based on this, AAT will give you a detailed written decision regarding your visa application. The committee decides on the basis of the following factors:
- Applicant’s circumstances in the home country
- Reason for entering Australia
- Value of enrolled course in future
- Immigration history of an applicant
- Any other relevant information
Appeal Fees
1,896 AUD (1,01,082 INR) is required to be paid for reviewing but students with financial needs can get 50% fee waivers. The fees need to be paid before the deadline while submitting the application.
Information Required by ATT to Review Rejected Visa Application
Students can share the below-mentioned information with ATT officers to support their visa applications.
- Previous academic qualifications
- Reasons for not pursuing a course in the home country
- Information about returning to the country after studies
- Acceptance Letter from university
- Relevance to the course and future job opportunities in Australia
- Information from other people to support your case
What to do After the Appeal to ATT Fails?
If the visa gets rejected even after the appeal to ATT then students have two options.
- Students can send applications to Federal Court. However, it is done only in the cases when there is some Legal Error in the decision by ATT.
- Students can write a letter to the minister requesting his personal discretion to grant you a visa, citing compelling reasons. The number of successful requests is decreasing. However, if the Minister intervenes, the decision is generally favorable.
Pursuing an education in Australia is a big deal and students should treat their visa application carefully. It needs to have all the documents attached to it so that the process is smooth and the Australian visa does not get rejected.
Comments