The subclass 500 charge is $2,500 for the main applicant. It is paid at lodgement and is not returned if the application is refused. Since March 2024 the ground behind most refusals is the genuine student requirement. It is not a test you sit. It is a set of questions on the form, read against a ministerial direction, with each answer weighed against the evidence. Most of our student files come through our business clients: a founder's daughter, a sponsored worker's partner, a supplier's nephew. The pattern in refused files is the same each time. The answers were true and short, and short lost.
In short: A subclass 500 application costs $2,500 and the charge is not refunded on refusal. The genuine student requirement, in force since March 2024, is decided on five form questions and the evidence behind each one.
The five questions
| Question on the form | A thin answer | A decided file |
|---|---|---|
| Your current circumstances. | I live with my parents and want to study. | Family, employment, property and finances, each with a document. |
| Why this course, this provider, and Australia. | The university has a good reputation. | The providers compared, the reason this one won, and the link to your last qualification. |
| How the course benefits you. | It will help my career. | The roles it leads to, named, with evidence they exist and value the qualification. |
| Your study and visa history. | No previous refusals. | Every visa and every refusal, anywhere, disclosed and explained. |
| Anything else. | Left blank. | The one fact the officer would otherwise wonder about, answered first. |
A wish to stay in Australia after the course is not disqualifying on its own. The requirement asks whether you are a genuine student, not whether you promise to leave. A course that only makes sense as a route to a visa still fails.
Three applicants, three files
The officer expects a straight line from school results to the course. The finances are usually a parent's, so the parent's income and the source of any large deposit must be traceable. The provider choice needs a reason beyond ranking. A school leaver with a clear line and a clean money trail is the simplest file we prepare.
The gap between the last qualification and this course is the first thing read. A step up in level is easy to explain. A step sideways needs a career reason with evidence, and a letter from a current or future employer carries more than any statement. Our commercial clients often write those letters for staff, and we draft them to the form questions.
Your visa history in Australia is the file. A move from a degree to a lower level course will be read closely. So will a string of short courses, or a change of provider soon after arrival. If refused onshore, you can usually apply to the Tribunal, which charges $3,727 and assesses the requirement afresh. The deadline usually runs 21 days from notification.
Is the course a step up?
How does the course compare with your last qualification?
Eight weeks before lodgement
- Week 1Course and provider settled, with the comparison recorded. Confirmation of enrolment requested.
- Week 2Finances traced. Bank statements, sponsor letters and the source of any large deposit collected.
- Week 3English result booked or exemption evidence gathered.
- Week 4Form answers drafted, one question at a time, and matched to the evidence.
- Week 6Ties evidenced: employment, family, property, and any employer letter obtained.
- Week 8Health cover in place, health examination arranged, application lodged with the $2,500 charge.
Charges in 2026-27
| Applicant | Charge |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | $2,500 |
| Additional applicant aged 18 or over | $1,530 |
| Additional applicant under 18 | $500 |
| Subsequent temporary application charge, onshore | $700 |
Health cover, tuition, English testing and the health examination sit on top. The charges are indexed each 1 July, and our note on the 2026-27 settings lists what else moved.
After a refusal
An onshore refusal can usually go to the Administrative Review Tribunal. The fee is $3,727, the deadline usually runs 21 days from notification, and the requirement is assessed again on the evidence before the Tribunal. The process is set out in our review note. An offshore refusal normally carries no review right. The realistic path is a new application that discloses the refusal and answers every reason with new evidence. A second generic statement produces a second refusal and a second $2,500 charge.
The migration practice prepares student files from the course offer onwards. If you have an offer in hand, or a refusal, contact us with the document and we will tell you what the file needs.
Figures verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to explain a gap between my last study and this course?
Yes. The officer reads the gap as part of your circumstances. State what you did in that time, why the course is the next step, and attach the employment or other evidence that shows it.
Can a letter from my employer help?
Yes, if it is specific. A letter that names your role, the skills the course adds and the position it leads to answers the benefit question. A letter that says you are a good employee does not.
Does the requirement apply to a second student visa applied for in Australia?
Yes. Every subclass 500 application is assessed against it, and an onshore applicant's history of courses and visas in Australia becomes the main evidence.
Does an earlier visitor visa refusal matter?
It must be disclosed, wherever it happened. An undisclosed refusal is a separate problem from the refusal itself. Disclosed and explained, it is one fact among many.
Is the $2,500 charge refunded if I withdraw?
Generally no. The charge is paid for the assessment, not the outcome, and withdrawal does not usually attract a refund. That is one more reason to lodge a file that is complete the first time.
General information as at 2 September 2026. Not legal advice. Student visa criteria and charges change, and your position depends on your facts. Speak to a lawyer before relying on any of it.