After Your 500 Student Visa Is Granted: What Actually Happens Next

Step 1 — 8202: full-time enrolment and progress, not just enrolment

Condition 8202 requires you to be enrolled in a full-time registered course and to maintain that enrolment toward a qualification the course, once completed, will actually provide. This is an ongoing requirement, not a one-time check at grant — course progress and attendance obligations run for the life of the visa, which is why a change of course, a leave of absence, or falling behind on progress requirements can put the condition at risk. Confirm your specific attendance and progress obligations with your education provider directly, since these are set at the institution level within the Department's framework.

Step 2 — 8105: the work-hour cap, and when it doesn't apply yet

Condition 8105 caps work at 48 hours per fortnight (a fortnight being the 14 days starting on a Monday) while your course is in session — this is the current setting for Subclass 500 holders specifically, higher than the 40-hour figure that applies to some other conditioned visas. Before your course of study actually commences, you generally must not work at all, unless you already held a substantive or bridging visa immediately beforehand that permitted you to work during that period. There's no cap during scheduled course breaks. Check your specific course's session dates with your provider before assuming when the cap applies.

Step 3 — 8501: OSHC, continuous, for the whole visa

Condition 8501 requires adequate health insurance for the whole time you hold the visa — for a student visa, the applicable product is OSHC, and it needs to be current from before your course starts through to the end of your visa, with no gap. You're generally not automatically Medicare-eligible on a student visa unless you're from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia — check your specific eligibility with Services Australia rather than assuming, since RHCA coverage varies by country and doesn't remove the requirement to hold OSHC regardless.

Step 4 — 8533: tell your EDUCATION PROVIDER, not Immigration, within 7 days

This is the condition that's genuinely different from every other visa on this list. Where a 491 or 494 holder reports address changes to Immigration under condition 8578 (14 days), condition 8533 requires a Subclass 500 holder to notify their EDUCATION PROVIDER — not Home Affairs directly — of a change to their residential address within 7 days after arriving in Australia (if outside Australia at grant) and within 7 days of any subsequent address change, and to notify their current provider of a change of provider within 7 days of receiving confirmation of enrolment from the new one. Get your provider's specific notification process (usually through their student portal) confirmed in your first week, since 7 days is a short window.

Step 5 — 8516, 8517, 8532: the conditions that depend on your circumstances

Condition 8516 is a standing requirement that you continue to be a person who would satisfy the criteria your visa was granted on — a general condition rather than a specific action. Condition 8517 only applies if you have a school-age dependant in Australia for more than 3 months as a secondary applicant on a student visa, requiring adequate education arrangements for them. Condition 8532 applies only if you haven't turned 18, and sets out who you must live with or what accommodation and welfare arrangements must be approved. Check your own grant notice to see which of these actually apply to your specific circumstances.

Your first week, and the next milestone

Confirm your OSHC is active and matches your visa dates, confirm your provider's address-notification process (condition 8533), and set up a TFN before you start any permitted work (see /blog/get-tfn-tax-file-number-australia) and a bank account (/blog/open-bank-account-in-australia-as-new-migrant). Beyond study, the 485 Temporary Graduate visa is the common next step after completing an eligible qualification — see /blog/485-visa-guide and /blog/student-to-pr-pathway-roadmap for how the sequence generally runs.

Documents to keep from day one

Keep your Confirmation of Enrolment, OSHC certificate, and any correspondence about course progress together from the start — condition 8202's ongoing progress requirement means a provider query about attendance can come at any point, and having your own record makes responding straightforward. The First 30 Days in Australia Pack ($39) sequences the settling-in tasks (bank, TFN, licence, SIM) in the order that matters for a first-time arrival, and the Migration Document Case Pack ($79) keeps the enrolment and cover paperwork in one place.

How many hours can I work on a student visa?

Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, under condition 8105 — a fortnight is the 14 days starting on a Monday. There's no cap during scheduled course breaks, and you generally can't work at all before your course starts unless you already held a working visa immediately before this one.

Who do I tell if I move house on a student visa?

Your education provider, not Immigration directly — condition 8533 requires notification to your provider within 7 days of an address change (and of arriving, if you were outside Australia at grant). This is different from the 14-day Immigration notification (condition 8578) that applies to some other visas.

Do I need OSHC the whole time I'm studying?

Yes — condition 8501 requires continuous, adequate health insurance for the whole visa, with OSHC as the applicable product for a student visa. Any gap in cover, even brief, is treated as a breach.

What happens if I fall behind on course progress?

Condition 8202 requires you to maintain enrolment toward the qualification your course leads to, and providers have their own progress and attendance monitoring within the Department's framework. Speak to your provider immediately if you're at risk of falling behind rather than waiting for it to become a bigger problem.

Can I bring my children to Australia on my student visa?

That's a separate visa question from what happens after your own grant — but if you have a school-age dependant in Australia with you for more than 3 months, condition 8517 requires you to maintain adequate education arrangements for them.

What's the visa after the 485 for a student?

The Temporary Graduate (485) is generally the first step after completing an eligible qualification, followed by a points-tested or employer-sponsored pathway depending on occupation and circumstances. See /blog/485-visa-guide and /blog/student-to-pr-pathway-roadmap.