Welfare arrangements for students in Australia at time of application
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if you are under 18 years of age evidence of acceptable welfare arrangements is required at the time you lodge your student visa application in Australia.
Student residing with a parent/legal custodian
If you are a student residing with a parent/legal custodian, you must submit evidence of the following with your student visa application:
- your relationship to parent or legal custodian
- that your parent or legal custodian is in Australia at the time you lodge your visa application
- that your parent or legal custodian has a visa permitting them to be in Australia or they are lodging a Student Guardian visa application.
See: Student Guardians
Student residing with a suitable relative
If you are a student residing with a suitable relative, you must submit evidence of the following with your student visa application:
- relationship to relative
(brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew, or a step-grandparent, step-grandchild, step-aunt, step-uncle, step-niece or step-nephew, partner) - that the relative is over 21 years old
- that the relative is nominated by your parents/legal custodian on your application
- that the relative is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, has a visa permitting them to be in Australia or is lodging a Student Guardian visa application.
- that the relative is of good character. You do this by providing a police clearance from the countries in which your relative has lived for more than 12 months in the past 10 years after the age of 16.
Note: Police clearances do not need to be submitted at the time you lodge your application but will need to be submitted before your visa can be granted.
See:
Character and penal clearance requirements
Student Guardians
Welfare arrangements approved by the education provider
If your welfare arrangements are approved by your education provider, you must submit the Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter the education provider gave you. This CAAW will show the commencement (start) and end dates of your welfare arrangements. The commencement date of welfare arrangements must be either:
- Prior to the date of lodgement
- The date of lodgement
- Day after end of current student visa.
Note: Student visa holders under the age of 18 and in Australia will only be able to lodge their application online, if their welfare arrangements are approved by their education provider.
Students whose welfare arrangements are provided by a parent, legal custodian or suitable relative will only be able to lodge a paper application.