Onshore or offshore: which one is you for studying in Australia

As soon as you start looking into studying in Australia, two words show up everywhere: offshore and onshore. They sound like jargon, but they shape a big part of your process: when you apply, which dates you need to watch and what happens while you wait for a decision.

The visa is the same in both cases, the Student visa (subclass 500). What changes is where you are on the day you lodge the application.

Offshore: you apply from outside Australia

You are offshore if you are in your home country, or anywhere else outside Australia, when you lodge. This is the path for people coming to study for the first time.

Time is the big factor here. Before applying you need to choose a course, get your offer letter, pay the deposit to receive your CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment), buy your OSHC health cover and gather your documents. After you apply come the health checks and biometrics, if you are asked for them.

That is why at Triaje we aim to have all your documents ready at least 3 months before your course starts. It is not an official rule, it is breathing room so nothing gets rushed at the end.

One detail many people miss: if you apply from outside Australia, your OSHC must start on the day you arrive, not the day your course starts. If you plan to land two weeks early, your cover has to include those two weeks.

Onshore: you apply from inside Australia

You are onshore if you are already in Australia on a valid visa and want a new Student visa: to keep studying, move up a level or start a new program.

The date that matters most is the expiry of your current visa. You must lodge the new application before it expires. If you apply in time, you are normally granted a Bridging visa A, which lets you stay lawfully while the new visa is processed, under the conditions you are given. Keep in mind that this bridging visa does not let you leave and come back.

Home Affairs also warns you not to cancel your current visa yourself: you would become unlawful and lose access to the bridging visa.

The key onshore question: does your current visa let you apply?

Not every visa allows you to apply for a Student visa from inside Australia. According to Home Affairs, you cannot apply in Australia if you hold, among others:

• Visitor visa (subclass 600)
• Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
• Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651)
• Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) or Transit visa (subclass 771)

If you are in Australia on one of these visas and want to study, your path is probably offshore: leave the country and apply from outside. There are exceptions and special cases, so check the official Student visa 500 page or go over your situation with us before you decide.

What stays the same on both paths

Onshore or offshore, the core requirements are the same. Home Affairs asks, among other things, that you:

• Are enrolled in a registered course and hold a valid CoE.
• Hold OSHC for yourself and your family for your whole stay, unless an official exception applies.
• Show you are a genuine student, meaning study is the main reason for your visa (the Genuine Student requirement).
• Meet the English, financial, health and character requirements that apply to your profile.

Financial capacity amounts, English scores and the visa fee change often. That is why we do not repeat them here: always check the official source, or ask us, since we keep them up to date.

How to tell which one is you

Answer these questions:

1. Where will you be on the day you lodge? Outside Australia: offshore. Inside: onshore.
2. If you are inside, which visa do you hold? If it is on the list of visas that cannot apply onshore, your path changes.
3. When does your current visa expire, or when does your course start? That date sets the calendar for everything else.
4. Are you coming alone, as a couple or as a family? It changes the funds you need to show and the type of health cover.

Mistakes we see often

• Leaving everything for the last month before the visa expires. Enrolment, the offer letter and the CoE also take time.
• Coming in as a tourist planning to switch to a student visa from inside.
• Starting OSHC on the course start date instead of the arrival date.
• Choosing a course on price alone, without thinking about what you want to build in Australia.

We help you map out your route

If you are overseas, see how we work in Study in Australia from home. If you are already here, start with Already in Australia. Either way, we go through your profile and your dates with you, without promising outcomes: no visa is ever guaranteed, but a well organised process avoids a lot of trouble.