You may be having a grand time as an exchange student in Australia, rooting for success. Soak up the Australian weather, study hard, make a lot of friends, visit the city centres regularly, stay updated about the cultural programmes happening around you, go out on long day trips, and lead a beautiful exchange student life in the country of Oz. This is a complete package, and it simply can’t get better than this.
But you may have to face life once in a while because all good things have a life expectancy. Your student visa will not let you stay in Australia forever, and the days may pass too swiftly until you come to understand that the student visa will be over too soon.
However, you do not need to be blasé about the visa renewal. If you have a set plan for your career and are trying to make a future for yourself in the Aussie land, don’t let the limited time offered by your student visa stop you. Stop procrastinating, get your stuff in order and apply for a visa renewal.
You need to do it as soon as possible because no provision in the Australian Immigration policy lets you renew a visa after the tenancy of the earlier permission is over. Therefore, you need to apply for renewal before the current one expires, or you would be unceremoniously dismissed from Australia.
You can’t count on your student visa in Australia for an extension as per the Australian immigration regulation. You can, on the other hand, apply for a new visa before the current one expires that will let you stay here for some more time. You have to follow the entire visa process once again, and all the paperwork are exciting! Probably not. This is why it’s recommended that you push your application to the system at least three months before the expiry date of the current visa. Then you’ll have a bit of wiggle room for your paperwork, and rectify if there is any mistake on the application process.
However, under the circumstances, we can refer to your new visa application as extension or renewal. You need to apply for a visa extension if:
- Your present visa will expire before the completion of your course. This can happen due to failed semesters, many leaves of absence as well as a reduced load of study.
- Your research scholarship has been extended.
- You have submitted your postgraduate thesis, but the visa will expire until the markings come.
- You got enrolled in a new course of study. You rock!
If you are a foreign national, you will need a visa to study in Australia, but this visa will, in turn, enable you to get a chance to study in world-class universities. While renewal is a bit of a lengthy process, it will give you some room to roam around the country and finish your study.
