Australian visas, explained
A visa application is not paperwork. It is an argument, and the decision maker is looking for the place where your argument does not hold together. These pages explain what each visa is for, what evidence sits behind it, and where applications from Pakistan usually come apart.
This is general information about how the visas work. It is not immigration advice, and One Call Solution does not lodge visa applications or promise outcomes.
The visas
Side by side
A visitor visa and a student visa are tested against opposite things. A visitor has to convince the decision maker that they will leave. A student has to convince them that the course is genuine and funded. Applying for the wrong one, or telling the wrong story on the right one, is a common and expensive mistake.
| Visitor visa | Student visa (Subclass 500) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Tourism, or visiting family and friends. Business visitor activity in some streams. | Full-time study in a CRICOS-registered course in Australia. |
| Work rights | None. Working on a visitor visa breaches the conditions of the visa. | Generally up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited during scheduled breaks. |
| What you must prove | That your reason to travel is genuine, that you can fund the trip, and that you have real ties keeping you in Pakistan. | A Confirmation of Enrolment, the Genuine Student requirement, evidenced funds, English, and OSHC health cover for the full visa period. |
| Study allowed | Only very short study, if any, depending on the stream and conditions imposed. | Yes. That is the entire purpose of the visa. |
| Why applications from Pakistan get refused | Weak ties to Pakistan, unexplained funds, or an itinerary that does not match the stated purpose. | A course that does not follow logically from your background, funds that appear suddenly, or answers that contradict the documents. |
Conditions, work-hour caps and the exact evidentiary tests are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change over time. The summary above is general information, not the legal test that applies to your application. Check the current rules and confirm your own circumstances with a registered migration agent.
These pages explain how the Australian visitor visa and the Subclass 500 student visa work, so you understand what is being asked of you before you spend money on an application. They are not immigration assistance, and nothing here is tailored to your circumstances. Visa conditions, funds requirements and work-hour caps are set by the Department of Home Affairs and change over time. Before you rely on anything you read here, check the current rules on the Department's website and confirm your own case with a registered migration agent. One Call Solution does not lodge visa applications on your behalf and cannot promise an outcome.
Read this first
Most refusals are not caused by a missing document. They are caused by two documents that quietly tell different stories.
Most refusals for Pakistani applicants are not caused by a missing document. They are caused by documents that quietly contradict each other, or a purpose that does not match the paper trail behind it.
Funds that arrive in an account shortly before an application invite scrutiny of where they came from. Sponsorship, savings and income need a history and an explanation that stands up.
The Genuine Student requirement replaced the old GTE statement. It asks whether this course, in this country, at this point in your life, makes sense. A diploma that has nothing to do with your degree or your career is a red flag before anyone reads your essay.
We help you build a course plan and get your admission and English score in order. Immigration assistance in Australia is regulated. For advice on your visa case, and for lodgement, go to a registered migration agent.
Questions
Do not plan on it. Visitor visas are often granted with a condition that prevents applying for most other visas while you are in Australia, and travelling on a visitor visa while intending to study can undermine the genuineness of both applications. Apply for the visa that matches what you actually intend to do.
No. Visitor visas carry no work rights, and working on one breaches your visa conditions. It can lead to cancellation and can affect any future application you make.
You must be able to evidence tuition, travel and living costs. The living-cost figure the Department requires you to show is published and reviewed periodically, and it sits on top of your course fees. What matters as much as the amount is that the money has a credible source and a history behind it.
It is the test that replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant statement. In substance it asks whether you are coming to Australia primarily to study, and whether this course is a logical next step given your academic history, your work and your plans. It is answered by your whole application, not just the written statement.
No. Immigration assistance in Australia is regulated under the Migration Act 1958 and must be given by a registered migration agent. These pages explain how the visas work. For advice on your own case and for lodgement, you need a registered agent, and we will tell you that rather than take a fee we should not take.
Applications from countries with a higher assessment level attract closer scrutiny of funds and of intent. That is not a reason to avoid applying. It is a reason to make sure your course choice is logical, your funds have a documented history, and nothing in your file contradicts anything else in it.
Tell us what you are trying to do in Australia, study, visit family or both, and we will explain which visa that maps to and what it will ask you to evidence. For advice on your specific case and for lodgement, you need a registered migration agent.
Sunday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. Offices in Parramatta and Lahore.