How to Check Australia Student Visa Status

How Do You Do an Australia Student Visa Status Check in ImmiAccount?

Log in to ImmiAccount, find your application under “My applications summary” and read the status shown next to it.

ImmiAccount is the Home Affairs online account you use for your Student visa (subclass 500). It works the same from Kathmandu as from anywhere else. This guide covers only the time after you lodge. For the steps before that, see our guide to study in Australia from Nepal and the Australia student visa process.

1. Go to the ImmiAccount login page and enter your username and password.
2. Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app, then select “Submit”.
3. Find your application under “My applications summary”. The status is next to it.
4. Select the “+” icon, then “View details”, then “Messages” to read any letters.
5. Check “Actions required” to see if you need to do anything.

The status alone can miss the important part. A request for documents appears as a message and under “Actions required”, so read both each time. The official Home Affairs “After you apply” page shows these same steps.

What Does Each Australian Student Visa Status Mean?

Each Australian student visa status shows how far your application has moved, and only “Finalised” means a decision has been made.

Home Affairs lists 10 statuses that can apply to a Student visa (subclass 500). These are their meanings in simple words:

Two points confuse many students. “Approved” is a status for citizenship only, so you should not wait to see it on a Student visa. Also, a My Health Declarations form always stays at “Submitted”, so that does not mean your visa is stuck.

What Do Initial Assessment and Further Assessment Mean for an Australia Visa?

Initial assessment means Home Affairs has finished a first check, and further assessment means it is assessing your application.

Neither one is a decision. They do not tell you whether your visa will be granted or refused.

Initial assessment

Open your messages at this stage, because Home Affairs may have asked for more information. If nothing is waiting, you don’t need to do anything.

Further assessment

Home Affairs will contact you if it needs more documents. Some students think this status means a problem was found, but Home Affairs does not say that. Keep checking your messages and keep your email working, so you see any request quickly.

Can You Check Australia Student Visa Status From Nepal?

Yes, you can check it from anywhere in Nepal with an internet connection and your ImmiAccount login.

You need your username, your password and the 6-digit code from the authenticator app on your phone. If you forget your login, use the “forgotten” links on the login page.

Lost the app? Use the link for people who no longer have access to it, then enter your password and answer your secret questions. The Home Affairs guide to accessing your ImmiAccount explains each case.

When you set up the account, choose to receive messages by electronic means. Without this you can’t read letters about your application in ImmiAccount. Also add homeaffairs.gov.au to your safe senders list, and check your junk folder too.

How Do You Check Your Status if a Consultancy Lodged It?

Ask them to share the application with your own ImmiAccount, or import it yourself with your application details.

If a consultancy in Nepal lodged your visa, it sits in their account, so you won’t see it in yours. You have 2 ways to get it, as the Home Affairs page on managing applications shows:

• Share: they select “Share” and enter your email and username. You can then view it and attach documents. This works once the status is Received or later.
• Import: you select “Import Application”. Then enter the application ID or Transaction Reference Number (TRN), your date of birth, and your passport number and country. You can import an application up to 3 times.

Home Affairs encourages registered agents to share applications with clients, so it is fair to ask. If you are still choosing a consultancy for Australia, ask about it before you sign up.

Why Has Your Student Visa Status Not Changed?

A status that stays the same usually means your application is still waiting or being assessed, not that it was refused.

Applications lodged from Nepal count as lodged outside Australia, so Home Affairs handles them by priority and not simply by date. The order mostly depends on your course and education provider. So applications lodged on the same day can move at different speeds. The Student visa processing priorities page says it aims to start processing in these periods:

These periods can change, mainly in busy seasons, and they show when work starts, not when a decision comes. Your priority does not affect whether your visa is granted or refused. For a higher education course, you can look up your provider on the Visa Prioritisation Status list.

The visa processing times guide shows how long recent decisions took, but it is not a promise for your case. Home Affairs asks you not to contact it while you are within standard times, because it can’t give more updates. So check these points instead:

• Is there an unread message or an item under “Actions required”?
• Have you finished your health check and biometrics, if they were asked for?
• Is your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) still valid?

Your CoE must be valid when the visa is decided. It stops being valid if it is cancelled or the course is complete, and then you must attach a new one. Home Affairs also says you should not book travel until your visa is finalised.

What Should You Do if Home Affairs Asks for More Documents?

Read the request carefully, give exactly what it asks for and reply as early as you can.

A request does not mean a refusal. It means Home Affairs wants more before it decides. You don’t have to wait for the deadline, and the Student visa page asks you to respond promptly.

The request may be for money papers, Genuine Student information, a new CoE or a police report from Nepal. Our guide to Australia student visa financial documents covers the money side.

To attach a document:

1. Log in, select the “+” icon, then “View details”.
2. Select “Attach documents” and choose the document type from the list.
3. Select “Browse”, choose your file, then select “Attach”.

If the type is not listed, choose “Other Documents” and enter your own title. You can attach up to 60 documents in all, so send what was asked for, clearly scanned. Nepali documents need an English translation. When applying from outside Australia, add the translator’s full name, address, phone number and qualifications, as the Home Affairs “Check twice, submit once” page explains.

Two requests are time-sensitive. Most students hear right after lodging if they need biometrics. You get 14 days to give them, so book early. See our guide to biometrics locations in Nepal.

For the health check, your medical referral letter with your Health Assessment Portal (HAP) ID is in ImmiAccount under “Health assessment”.

The full list of what the visa needs is on our Australia student visa requirements page, and the entry rules are under eligibility for Australia.

How Do You Fix a Mistake or Change Your Details?

Use “Update details” in ImmiAccount as soon as you notice a mistake or a change.

Select the “+” icon and then “Update details”. The menu covers your address, phone, email and passport. For a wrong answer on the form, choose “Notification of incorrect answer(s)”. If your situation changes before a decision, such as a marriage or a change of name, tell Home Affairs through “Notification of changes in circumstances”.

Differences in your papers can slow things down, so check that these match across your documents:

• Full name, date of birth and passport number
• Passport expiry date
• Course name, education provider and CoE number
• Start and end dates of your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
• Your email address

If you get a new Nepali passport while you wait, update those details in ImmiAccount. You can also change who receives your letters, by uploading Form 956A to ImmiAccount.

What Happens When Your Status Says Finalised?

Finalised means Home Affairs has made a decision, and it will tell you in writing whether your visa was granted or refused.

If it was granted, your letter gives your visa grant number, the date your visa expires and your visa conditions. Keep a copy with you in Australia. Now you can book your flight from Nepal. The usual work limit is 48 hours a fortnight during your course, as our guide to working hours for students in Australia explains.

If it was refused, the letter tells you why and whether you have a right to a review. Home Affairs does not refund the application charge after a refusal. Before you apply again, read our guide to Australia student visa rejection reasons. The Australia visa success rate page shows the official numbers.

How Do You Use VEVO After Your Visa Is Granted?

VEVO shows the details of your current visa, so use it only after the grant and not to track an application.

VEVO means Visa Entitlement Verification Online. It shows your visa, its expiry date, the date you must arrive by, your period of stay and your conditions. It does not show new applications that Home Affairs is still assessing. The Home Affairs VEVO page asks for these 3 things:

• Your travel document, such as your passport, and its country
• Your date of birth, as written on your passport
• Your TRN, visa grant number or visa evidence number

Your passport uses the AD date, so use our Nepali date converter if your family only remembers your birthday in BS. Enter your passport number with care, since a letter O in place of a zero will fail. VEVO can also email your visa details to someone else, such as an employer or a landlord in Australia.

Your conditions set what you can and can’t do in Australia, so read them all. Our guide to Australia student visa rules explains the main ones.

How Can Goreto Help With Your Visa Status?

A Goreto counselor can read your Home Affairs messages with you and help you plan your reply.

This helps most when a letter is hard to follow or a deadline is close. We can also check your documents before you attach them, so you don’t send the wrong paper. If your visa was refused, we can go through the reasons in your letter before you decide what to do next.

You can get this help wherever you live in Nepal. Talk to a counselor at one of our 5 branches, in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara.