Moving to Australia as a student: what to do before you land

Getting your offer from an Australian university is the exciting part. What comes next (enrolment, a visa, health cover, a bank account, housing you've never seen in person) is the part nobody explains in one place. This guide walks through it in the order you'll actually deal with it, from accepting your offer to your first week on campus, and links to the official page for every rule we mention.

Step 1Get your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

Before you can apply for a visa, your education provider issues a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) once you've accepted your offer and met its conditions (usually including a tuition deposit). Home Affairs requires a CoE for every course you intend to study when you lodge your Student visa application; without one, the application is invalid.

A CoE can only be issued for a course on CRICOS, the Australian Government register of providers and courses approved for students on student visas. If you want to double-check your course, search the CRICOS register.

Your CoE is the document everything else depends on: your visa application and your bank account both ask for it, so keep a copy somewhere you can reach easily.

Step 2Apply for the Student visa (subclass 500)

If you're coming to Australia to study a registered course, you'll need a Student visa (subclass 500). You apply online through ImmiAccount, and in most cases you must apply from outside Australia. The official Student visa page lists every requirement; these are the ones that surprise people most.

The Genuine Student (GS) requirement

For applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024, the Genuine Student requirement replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test. Instead of a long personal statement, you answer a set of questions in the online application form, in English, with a limit of 150 words per answer. The questions cover your current circumstances (including ties to family, community and work), why you chose this course, this provider and Australia, and how the course will benefit you. Home Affairs says that hoping to stay on later, for example by applying for permanent residence, does not count against you.

Keep your answers honest and specific to you. Generic, copied answers don't help. See the official Genuine Student requirement page for the exact questions and the supporting documents to attach.

Financial capacity

You may need to show you can pay for your first 12 months: course fees, travel and living costs for you and any family members. Home Affairs sets a minimum living-cost amount and updates it from time to time, so check the current figure under "Gather documents" on the Student visa page before you gather bank statements. Home Affairs also points out that this is the minimum for the visa, that real living costs may be much higher, and that you shouldn't rely on part-time work to support yourself. Study Australia's cost of living calculator helps you budget for your city.

English language requirements

There are two separate requirements. Your university sets its own minimum English score for your course, which is usually on your offer letter. Home Affairs may also ask for evidence of your English with your visa application, depending on your circumstances. Use the Document Checklist tool to see whether you need to.

If you do, the test has to be one Home Affairs approves, taken at a secure test centre (fully online, at-home tests aren't accepted). The list of approved tests changed on 7 August 2025. It currently includes IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test, with conditions for some (for example, TOEFL iBT results must be registered under the "Taking TOEFL for Australia" option). Check the English language requirements page before you book a test.

Fees and processing times

Visa application charges change, so we don't quote one here. Use the official Visa Pricing Estimator. For timing, Home Affairs publishes a processing time guide based on recent decisions. Apply with plenty of time before your course starts.

Step 3Sort your health cover (OSHC)

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is a requirement of the Student visa for you and any family members who come with you, unless an exception applies. You need to include paid OSHC for the length of your visa in your application, and Home Affairs will refuse the application without it. Your university may arrange it for you, or you can buy it yourself.

A few details matter:

• It must start the day you arrive, not the day your course starts. Don't enter Australia before your cover begins.
• Keep it until you leave Australia. Don't let it lapse, and make sure there's no gap if you change providers.
• It has to be OSHC from an approved insurer, not regular travel insurance. The Australian Government publishes the list of OSHC insurers (six when we checked). Prices and extras vary, so it's worth comparing.
• Medicare agreements rarely replace it. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with some countries, but for the Student visa the only OSHC exceptions are certain students from Norway, Sweden and Belgium covered by their national schemes. If that's you, check the "Have adequate health insurance" section of the Student visa page.

Step 4Get your money ready before you fly

A few decisions here save a lot of stress in week one:

• Don't carry large amounts of cash. It's a security risk, and a card or bank transfer is easier to track.
• Have a way to pay for your first days before your Australian account is ready, such as a travel or multi-currency card from your bank or a provider like Wise or Revolut. Fees and exchange rates vary a lot, so compare them before you choose.
• Budget for setup costs beyond tuition: your first rent (often with a bond and rent in advance), temporary accommodation, a phone plan, transport, textbooks and basic household items.
• Know your work rights before you count on a job. Student visa holders can generally work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session. Home Affairs says not to rely on work to support yourself.

Opening an Australian bank account

Study Australia's first-week guide says to bring your electronic CoE, your passport and proof of your Australian address (such as a lease or a phone bill) to a bank branch. Some banks also let international students start an application online before arriving and finish the identity check in Australia. Check your chosen bank's current process.

Then apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) once you're in Australia. You don't need one to open an account, but without one you'll be taxed at a higher rate. Apply on the Australian Taxation Office website.

Step 5Book short-term housing first

This is the most common "wish I'd known": don't sign a long lease on a place you've only seen in photos. Rental scams target people who can't inspect a place in person, and even genuine listings can look very different in real life.

The safer sequence:

• Book a few weeks of temporary accommodation first: university short-stay housing, a homestay, or a hostel or serviced apartment near campus.
• Inspect places in person (or ask someone you trust to inspect for you) before you sign anything longer-term or pay a bond.
• Consider university or purpose-built student accommodation for your first semester. It may cost more than a private rental, but it's easier to arrange from overseas while you get to know the city.

Study Australia has an overview of accommodation options. Once you've arrived, remember that you must tell your education provider your residential address within 7 days (visa condition 8533), and keep it up to date.

Step 6Phone and SIM

If your phone is unlocked, you can use a prepaid service or a SIM-only plan. Prepaid SIMs are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and phone shops. Coverage varies outside the big cities, so check each network's coverage map for where you'll live. If your phone is locked to your home provider, you may need a new one.

Step 7What to pack

A few Australia-specific notes:

• Seasons are flipped compared with the Northern Hemisphere: December to February is summer, June to August is winter.
• Biosecurity rules are strict. Many foods, plant material, animal products and wooden items must be declared on your Incoming Passenger Card, even small amounts of cooking ingredients. If you're unsure, declare it, because not declaring can lead to a fine. See the Australian Border Force guide Can you bring it in?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Letting OSHC lapse. Set a reminder well before your policy ends. Keeping it is a visa requirement, not optional admin.
• Signing a long lease sight-unseen, or paying a bond for a place nobody has inspected.
• Budgeting with the visa minimum. It's the minimum for the visa, not what your city actually costs. Use the cost of living calculator for where you'll live.
• Forgetting to declare food or other risk items at the border.
• Not planning for the overlap: in your first month you may pay for temporary accommodation and a new rental bond at the same time, before any income arrives.
• Relying on old advice, including from friends who moved a few years ago. Rules like the Genuine Student requirement and the approved English tests have changed recently.

You're more prepared than you think

None of this is complicated on its own. It's just a lot, arriving at once, usually while you're finishing your last semester at home and saying goodbye to everyone you know. Work through it in the order above and you'll land with the logistics handled, which frees up your first weeks for the part that matters: meeting people and finding where you fit.

That's the part Palayn is for. When it launches, you'll be able to find verified students heading to your university and city, chat before you arrive and join meetups near campus, so you don't have to figure all of this out on your own.

Official sources

• Student visa (subclass 500), Department of Home Affairs
• Genuine Student requirement, Department of Home Affairs
• English language visa requirements, Department of Home Affairs
• CRICOS register, Australian Government
• Overseas Student Health Cover, privatehealth.gov.au
• Student visa (subclass 500), Study Australia
• Your first week in Australia, Study Australia
• Apply for a TFN, Australian Taxation Office
• Unique Student Identifier (USI), Australian Government
• Can you bring it in?, Australian Border Force

• Australia
• Student visa
• Subclass 500
• OSHC
• Pre-departure