AUSTRALIA STUDENT VISA PROCESSING

A to Z

Khan Tahasinul Islam Nirzhar

Update: 26th May, 2023

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 1
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4

OUR PROFILE ............................................................................................................................... 5

Student: ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Spouse: ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Intended Course: ......................................................................................................................... 5

Pre-Requisites of Choosing Australia ............................................................................................. 6

Choosing an Agency ....................................................................................................................... 7

Regional & Non-Regional .............................................................................................................. 8

University & Subject....................................................................................................................... 9

Summary of the Student Visa Process .......................................................................................... 10

Application & Offer Letter ........................................................................................................... 11

GTE ............................................................................................................................................... 13

Fund Requirement ..................................................................................................................... 13

Regular Income Source ............................................................................................................. 14

Fixed Asset................................................................................................................................ 15

SOP ............................................................................................................................................... 15

Paying the tuition fees ................................................................................................................... 17

Opening a Student File.............................................................................................................. 17

Getting the invoice .................................................................................................................... 18

Completing the fee transfer ....................................................................................................... 21

Overseas Student Health Cover .................................................................................................... 23

Paying the OSHC ...................................................................................................................... 23

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 2
 Getting the OSHC Confirmation .............................................................................................. 24

Confirmation of Enrollment (COE) .............................................................................................. 26

Police Clearance............................................................................................................................ 27

VISA LODGEMENT ................................................................................................................... 30

Required Visa Documents ........................................................................................................ 30

Required Forms ......................................................................................................................... 32

Paying the Visa Fee .................................................................................................................. 34

Medical Examination .................................................................................................................... 35

Required documents for Medical .............................................................................................. 36

Procedure Breakdown ............................................................................................................... 37

Biometric Enrollment.................................................................................................................... 38

Registering for Biometric ......................................................................................................... 41

VFS Office Address .................................................................................................................. 42

Process Breakdown ................................................................................................................... 43

Importing immi account ................................................................................................................ 44

Final Submission........................................................................................................................... 45

Our Timeline ............................................................................................................................. 48

VISA Interview ............................................................................................................................. 49

Driving License ............................................................................................................................. 51

AIR TICKET .................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

SHOPPING ................................................................................................................................... 53

Random TIPS ................................................................................................................................ 54

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ............................................................................................. 55

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 3
 Introduction

Welcome to a detailed description of my journey from start to finish for an Australian Student Visa
(Subclass 500). I am Khan Tahasinul Islam Nirzhar. Textile Engineer, working as a Merchandiser
for 5 years. My wife, Sarah Jabin Chowdhury is a Marine Engineer and she is the main applicant.
I applied as a dependent. Both of our full profile will be given in a later chapter. The whole guide
is written based on our own experience and it may differ from your own. I cannot be held liable
for any information provided here and thus use this at your own risk. I am merely trying to provide
an all-in-one guide that may help you on your journey on getting that coveted Australian Student
Visa. This guide will mainly focus on the Master’s degree but a lot of the info given will apply to
bachelor as well. Please refer to your own personal agent to get the most accurate and up-to-date
information. The data provided are based on our visa submission for JULY 2023 intake.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 4
 OUR PROFILE

Student:

SSC: GPA 5.00

HSC: GPA 5.00
BSC: CGPA 3.68
University: Military Institute of Science & Technology
Sub: Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Job Experience: N/A
IELTS: 7.5 (L: 8.5 | R: 8.5 | W: 6.5 | S: 7.5)

Spouse:

SSC: GPA 5.00

HSC: GPA 5.00
BSC: CGPA 3.57
University: Bangladesh University of Textiles
Sub: Apparel Engineering
Job Experience: 5 years (Merchandising)
IELTS: 8.5 (L: 9 | R: 9 | W: 7 | S: 8)

Intended Course:

Master of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)

University of Wollongong

Tuition Fee: 13,872 AUD per semester (30% scholarship)

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 5
 Pre-Requisites of Choosing Australia

Apart from ambition & courage, I believe there are a few things that you should have in your
possession, that will make your journey smoother. I will list them out below and the rest is up to
you.

1. Good academic score. CGPA over 3 is preferred but not mandatory.

2. Good IELTS or PTE Score (Above 6.5). Please note, visa with EAP courses are getting
tougher to get and it also cost a LOT of money and time and effort. Just give that effort
here in BD and get a better IELTS score. You will get your offer letter faster and will have
a higher chance of visa.
3. Solid Financial Backing. For single applicant, the fund should be over 35 lakh and with
spouse, it should be over 45 lakh. The more the better. You should have this ready before
deciding to commit to Australia.
4. Enough liquid money to spend. For single, cost before leaving will be around 15-18 lakh,
for double, it should be around 20-25 lakh. I will share breakdowns later
5. Do not try to do it by yourself. Know that you will need an agent to process student visa
for Australia. It isn’t mandatory but highly recommended. Go for authorized agencies and
they should give you better result.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 6
 Choosing an Agency

This is a crucial step, so talk in person with at least 2-3 agency councilors and decide for yourself.
Student visa processing is FREE and you should not be paying money for this but if you believe
you don’t have a strong enough profile and an agency will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you then
you may choose to pay a service fee. But please avoid any agency that charges fees like “File
Opening” or “Application submission”.

3 of the biggest agencies are IDP, PFEC and Studynet. They’re authorized and professional but
they can be very busy at times and you’ll have a hard time reaching their councilors when you
need them but still, I myself did it from one of them and even though it was frustrating at times, I
must say they did a pretty good job.

Talk to them in person, explain them your entire situation and they should be able to guide you in
the right process.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 7
 Regional & Non-Regional

Australia’s main cities are divided in these two categories. Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane are
considered non-regional as they are big multicultural cities with huge population and a bustling
economy system. They have lots of jobs and opportunities for everyone. Which is why, they are
over populated and the Australian government do NOT want new immigrants there. Instead, they
want to populate their regional cities that has the potential but lacking in skilled manpower. Cities
like Perth, Adelaide, Wollongong, Darwin, Tasmania, Ballarat are few of the popular destinations
with world class universities. You will also get 5 additional points for studying and residing in a
regional area when applying for PR. Remember, you cannot live in Sydney while studying at
University of Wollongong if you want that extra points. You must live in a regional city as well to
get the benefits later.

Kindly research more about the different cities and states in Australia for better understanding the
situation. Use Google & Chatgpt as much as needed.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 8
 University & Subject

This is something I cannot help with. Please contact your agency and research online and figure
out which subject is good for you. Kindly note, Australia has a thing called PR pathaway subjects
where they have skilled manpower shortages. If possible, choose those subjects for getting PR
easier later on. Search in google for a full list of these subjects.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 9
 Summary of the Student Visa Process

1. Apply for your intended course & Uni

2. Get offer Letter
3. Meet the GTE Conditions (Genuine Temporary Entrant)
4. Clear GTE and get unconditional offer letter
5. Pay the tuition fees
6. Buy Overseas Students Health Cover
7. Apply for COE (Confirmation of Enrollment)
8. Apply for a student visa
9. Attend medical examination
10. Give biometrics in the VFS office.
11. Wait for the visa decision

Your agent should explain all the process and they’ll be the ones doing all the work. You will just
provide them with the information they need.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 10
 Application & Offer Letter

You should apply to at least 2 to 3 universities just to be safe. Offer letters can take from 2 days to
2 months, even more. Be patient and wait for your turn. You can mail the uni to get faster response.

Below is a sample offer letter from Wollongong. Please check the following details very carefully.

- Student ID
- Student Name
- Intended Course
- Duration
- Intake
- Class Start Date
- GTE Conditions
- Payment Instructions
- Refund Instructions
- Scholarship details

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 11
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 12
 GTE

Australia is proposing to replace the GTE process with GST but I will write about it anyway as
this is process that I went through. GTE is a process where the uni will ask for documents that will
show them you have the necessary funds to study and live in Australia. For some universities, you
can give this information when applying and if everything is okay, you will get a direct
unconditional offer letter, meaning your GTE is cleared.

You will need to provide your full fund documents including statements of your fund, source of
your funds, TIN and TAX certificate of your sponsor, Regular Income source and most importantly
SOP (Statement of Purpose).

Fund Requirement

For Australia, below is the fund requirement. You must show you have more funds than the
required amount to clear GTE.

Tuition Fee – 1 year tuition fee in AUD

Living Cost (Student) – 21,041 AUD

Living Cost (Spouse) – 7,362 AUD

OSHC (Student) – 2000 AUD (this changes very frequently)

OSHC (Couple) – 9000 AUD

Travel Cost (Student) – 2200 AUD

Travel Cost (Spouse) – 2000 AUD

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 13
For children, please contact your agency to get the details.

In general, for single applicant, you should show over 35 lakhs and with spouse, over 45 lakhs in
fund.

Fund can be in the form of

- Shonchoypotro (Must be from a bank, post office shonchoypotro not allowed)

- FDR (Any Bank)
- Savings Account

If your fund’s maturity is less than 3 months, you have to show the source of that fund. Work out
with your agency and a lawyer on the best approach of doing this. It will be different for everyone
based on your financial situation.

Regular Income Source

Along with funds, you need to show your sponsor has enough yearly income to support you later.
You should show a monthly income of over 1.5 lakhs. The more the better. Income source can be
regular job, business, rental income, agricultural income etc. You can combine them as well to
your liking. But make sure you have the necessary documents to back your claim. They will ask
to see proof.

You will also need tax documents. TIN is mandatory for sponsor. Tax return and Tax certificate
is Not mandatory but its good if you have them.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 14
Fixed Asset

Assets are not mandatory but you need to write about it in your SOP to show you have enough
property in BD to come back to. Assets can be plot of land or flat. The amount should exceed 1
crore.

SOP

Probably the most crucial aspect of your application. For GTE, the requirement is usually under
400 words. But you will need a full version of the SOP for the visa later. The strategy is to write a
big version first, with over 2500 words and then shrink it down to 300-400. It will not be easy but
can be done.

SOP should be personal and it should tell a story. A story that will make them understand why you
deserve to go to Australia. I will break down the points below. DO try to write your own SOP by
yourself as no one knows you better but yourself.

1. Introduction: Details about you and your family. Your spouse and their family. Small
brief as to why this subject speaks to your passion
2. Education background: Full education details with any notable achievements or extra
curricular activity. Don’t just put numbers as it gets boring. Try to make the write engaging
and interesting. You can mention your early failures as well to showcase how you pulled
yourself back up
3. Why this course: Explain why you chose this course. How it relates to your previous
degree. Why you have a passion for it. How it will help your career. Mention a few course
names that are related to you to show you have done the research.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 15
 4. Why not BD: Explain why you didn’t pursue this degree in BD. Mention a lack of facilities
and opportunities and practical knowledge
5. Why Australia: Reasons why you chose Australia over USA or Canada. What makes it
the best
6. Why this university: Reasons why you picked this particular uni out of the others. Tell
em why this uni is so great and mention a few professors name whos research topics you
liked.
7. Study Gap: If you have a study gap over 1 year, give explanation with supporting
documents to show you did not waste your time. Your agent can advise more on this.
8. Funds: Give details about your funding, your sponsor, their sponsored amount, source,
regular income and fixed assets.
9. Career plan: Explain in detail what you plan to do after completing your degree. You
MUST convince them that you have a profitable career in Bangladesh and that is your
ultimate goal. You do NOT plan to stay in Australia after your degree and you are only
going there to study
10. Incentives to return to BD: Explain your country ties. Mention your family
responsibilities, your friends, your spouse, your culture and weather. Explain your assets
and how you will look after them and own them later.
11. Accomodation: Write 2 lines about where you’ll find rented accommodation in Australia
and how will find it (flatmates, gumtree, fb marketplace)

Your SOP should clearly show you have done proper research, You know about your subject, your
university, Australia and you have clear goals and motivation to come back to BD.

After writing, get an expert to check and proof read it and you’re good to go.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 16
 Paying the tuition fees

After you get your unconditional offer letter, it’s time to pay the fees. You need to have the money
ready in bank and choose a bank who is willing to open student files. Not all banks are opening
student files at the moment. So, please check and ensure before committing.

I myself went with PRIME BANK Ltd. as I have an account there and I will act as the sponsor for
the fees. Remember, the fees does not have to go from your funds sponsors account. It can go from
anyones. The student himself shouldn’t send the fees. It should come from a different account. I
went through Wollongongs process, so I will explain in details. Your process may vary slightly.

Opening a Student File

First, not all branches open student file. Pick your bank and go to your neartest branch that will
open the student file. Talk with them and they should guide you through the process. For me, as I
already had an account there, I only needed docs for the student. Below is the list-

● Original & photocopy of admission letter or Offer letter issued by the foreign educational
institution in favor of student.
● Original & photocopy of estimate relating to annual tuition fees, living expenses, insurance
& incidental expenses etc. issued by the foreign educational institution in favor of student.
● All original educational certificates & transcripts (for OS) of the applicant and attested
copies (for preserving with the file) of those to be submitted.
● Detailed information along with NID copy & Passport size photo of the sponsor.
● Original valid passport and a photocopy
● Refund policy must be available in the offer letter issued by the education institution.
● One (01) copy passport size photo of the student.

They also gave me a few forms to fill up. You can do that when you’re at the bank. Make sure to
bring a pen with you.

In case of living expense, if you write 21041 AUD for student. They will ask for proof. Get a
document from your agency where it is written that living expense for student is 21041 AUD. You
can also find this online in various websites. Just print one out and show them.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 17
Getting the invoice

Your offer letter should contain a link for a third party website by which you will pay the tuition
fees. Click on the link and follow it through to create the invoice. It is always best to pay via USD.
If you select USD in that site, they will automatically calculate how you need to pay.

For me, below were the fees. I had to pay 13972 AUD. Tuition Fees + Service Fee. I bought the
OSHC from outside.

This was the link provided in the offer letter to create the invoice.

In my case, it was flywire. If you are unable to create the invoice yourself, ask your Agency to
do it for you. Below is a copy of the invoice I created.

You must provide the invoice to the bank to proceed your payment. You can check if payment is
done using the flywire dashboard.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 18
Please note, invoices do have an expiry date so you must pay the fees within the time period.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 19
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 20
Completing the fee transfer

Give all your docs including the invoice to the bank. Then, get confirmation from the bank exactly
how much BDT you need to keep in your sponsors account. This will include the tuition fee +
service fee + student file opening charge. This varies from bank to bank but for prime, student file
opening charge was roughly 5200 BDT.

Be aware of banks that want to lock your money after paying the fees. Only keep slightly more
than the amount needed to send to avoid this risk.

Once the money is in the account and you have given all docs, the bank will send the money to
flywire on the same day. They will share the swift copy with you but you wont need it. Within a
day flywire will receive your payment. Within the next 3 days, flywire will send the fees to your
university and generate a payment confirm slip like below. You can download this from the flywire
dashboard and share it with your agency.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 21
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 22
 Overseas Student Health Cover

Health insurance is mandatory and you must pay OSHC for the entirety of your student visa
duration (2 years for masters and 3 years for bachelor). There are quite a few OSHC providers and
you can pick any one of them. There are 3 way to proceed with OSHC.

1. Take from the university.

2. Take from your agent
3. Buy it yourself

First, check the current OSHC rate from https://oshcaustralia.com.au/en.

Then, check the OSHC amount offered by the university. In my case, uni offered OSHC for single
applicant but we were a couple. So we decided not to go with them.

Then, check with your agency if they can provide any special offers for OSHC. If they can, Great.
You can buy from them.

Lastly, if none of above is an option for you, then choose one of the provider yourself. I believe
you should go for the cheapest one as these can get very expensive.

Paying the OSHC

1. If you buy from the uni, then you can pay the amount along with your tuition fee from the
bank. Done.
2. If you buy from agent, you can give them BDT. They’ll buy for you
3. If you cant find a relative or a friend to pay it for you, there are some folks in the FB group
who will pay your OSHC for you. They may charge a bit extra as it’s a business for them.
I advise not to give them any money before you receive the OSHC certificate.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 23
Getting the OSHC Confirmation

Once you’ve bought your OSHC, you should receive the confirmation by mail with a PDF like
below.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 24
You should also receive your membership cards like below. Color print this and then laminate to
make it into a card that looks like our NID. Once you land in Australia, you can apply for a physical
card but till then, keep this with you at all times.

Make sure to create an account and make your own profile in your OSHC provider’s website to
further verify the authenticity.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 25
 Confirmation of Enrollment (COE)
Offer letter does not guarantee your place in the uni, COE does. This is the final step before your
visa application.

Your agent will apply this for you. You need to provide the payment confirmation slip from flywire
and the OSHC certificate to apply for COE. Wait around 7 to 10 days and you should receive COE
from the university.

You should keep this document with you at all times when travelling to Australia.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 26
 Police Clearance

This is mandatory for visa application and you should apply for it online when you’re paying the
tuition fees as this can take upto 15 days to complete.

You MUST do police clearance from the “Permanent” address written on your passport. This will
eliminate all confusion and this is a proven fact.

Go to this website. Create an account and apply for the police clearance (PC)

https://pcc.police.gov.bd/ords/

Remember, The police will ONLY verify from the present address you type during your PC
application.

So, the requirements are contradictory. You need your verification from the permanent address but
the police will do it in your present address. The solution is, simply write your permanent address
in the present address box. When the police call you, tell them you live there. The PCC website
also suggests this.

At the end of the application, you MUST upload a copy of your passport that is attested by first
class gadgeted officer. This is mandatory and your application will be rejected if you don’t upload
this. You should also get a ward councilor certificate or a chairman certificate, but it is not always
mandatory if you know someone in the force. For reference, mine looked like this.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 27
You also have to pay 500 taka during the application. Use Bkash for instant payment.

Within a few days, an officer from your permanent address’s police station will call you and ask
to meet him with some documents like NID, Utility bill, passport etc. Complete the meeting with
him and the whole process should be done within a few days.

Remember, the clearance will first be signed by the local OC, then it will go to the District SP
office and then it will be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka for the final seal. So,
this is a time-consuming process and should be done with haste.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 28
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 29
 VISA LODGEMENT

Once you have your COE and PC, it’s time to apply for the VISA. Your agency will do it for you
using their own immi account in most cases. Some agent will open a new account for you.

Required Visa Documents

Student:

● All Academic Certificate & Transcripts Original Copy (If you don’t have a
original scanned copy, you can notarize a photocopy as well)
● IELTS/PTE Score
● COE
● Birth Certificate or NID
● Passport (All 48 pages of your passport, scanned and notarized)
● CV
● Marriage Certificate (Translated & Notarized)
● Marriage photos (Minimum 20)
● Employment Certificate (Optional)
● Police Clearance

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 30
 Spouse:

● All Academic Certificate & Transcripts Original Copy (If you don’t have a
original scanned copy, you can notarize a photocopy as well)
● Passport (All 48 pages of your passport, scanned and notarized)
● Birth Certificate or NID
● CV
● Police Clearance

Sponsor

● NID
● Fund Statement
● TIN
● Tax Certificate
● Tax Return
● Source of Fund
● Current income Bank Statement
● BIN/Trade License
● Rental Agreement

These docs will depend on your sponsor and what kind of funding you are showing. Please consult
your agency and a lawyer to know your exact requirement. Tax documents are not mandatory but
many will suggest to provide it anyway. If you have it, do upload. Cant ever be too careful.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 31
Required Forms

I was given 3 forms to fillup for the visa application.

1. Form 956A – this authorizes your agency to apply for visa on your behalf
2. Form 80 – this will be used by your agency to fill up the visa application. It will not be
uploaded.
3. Guarantor Form – This is a form that will have your sponsors name and sign. You MUST
notarize this before uploading.

Make sure to fill them our VERY carefully.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 32
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 33
Paying the Visa Fee

The visa fee is 650 AUD for the student and 450 AUD for the dependent. There are some added
charges. For me and my spouse, it was 1159 AUD.

You must PAY the visa fee when submitting the application. Your visa will not be “lodged” until
you pay the fee.

You can either pay via your agency or find someone from outside to help with the payment. You
can use an international debit card to pay the tuition fee but you need to open a special gateway
for your card to pay anything over 300 USD. Go to your bank and they’ll explain the process

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 34
If your agency uses their own immi account to lodge the visa, they will NOT give you access to it.
So you need to bring the card with you to your agency to complete the payment.

Once it is lodged, your agency should receive the confirmation for Medical and Biometric within
24 hours.

Medical Examination

This is mandatory and can be done from the following three places.

1. Dr. Wahab's Clinic

Medical and Radiology Clinic.
House 3, Road 12 Baridhara, Dhaka Telephone: +880 2 984 7553, 984 3439, 985 5953
Mobile: 01778 630 6772.

2. Green Crescent Health Services

Medical and Radiology Clinic
60, Park Road, Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, Dhaka-1212
Tel: 880-2-9862384, +88 -01911352247, 0174238854 (for appointments only)

3. International Organisation of Migration

IOM Migration Health Assessment Clinic 1st & Ground floor, House 13/A, Road 136,
Gulshan-1 Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Telephone: +880 171 348 1798, +880 177 776 1309

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 35
Only Green Crescent allows you to go there with out any appointment. Just give them a call and
tell them you’re coming. They do have an online appointment form but it is useless and you
should not bother filling it up.

Required documents for Medical

1. Medical Referral Letter from the immi office (Separate for Student & Spouse)
2. Original Passport
3. A copy of your passport’s information page
4. Covid 19 Certificate

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 36
Procedure Breakdown

1. Reach Green Crescent after 9am.

2. Go to the counter.
3. They’ll give you a form to fill with your medical history information
4. Give them all your documents along with the form.
5. Original passport, copy of passport, Medical referral letter from immi, covid 19 certificate.
6. They'll check and ask you to go inside.
7. Go and pay the medical fee of 7000 BDT in cash. If you pay by card, 2% extra will be
charged.
8. After payment, go to the 2nd floor with all your document and give it to the counter.
9. First, they'll call your name from the X-ray room. Take off your top and do the X-ray.
10. Then, they'll call u from the sample room. They'll give you a bottle and ask you to get them
urine sample.
11. Lastly, they'll call you from the physician’s room. They'll take your weight, height, check
your chest and back, ask a few questions that you already answered before and that's it.
12. If the results are okay, it will be automatically updated in the next day.
13. No Blood Samples necessary

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 37
 Biometric Enrollment
For this, you need to go to the immi website and book your slot. You should book the slot as soon
as you receive the visa application confirmation with your VLN (Visa Lodgment Number). One
document will include both you and your spouse’s information.

For the booking, only the day matters. Time doesn’t. If you book a slot on 15th June, you can go
there anytime of the day on 15th June.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 38
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 39
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 40
Registering for Biometric

Biometric enrollment is done by VFS Global office in Gulshan 2 as Australia does NOT have an
embassy in Bangladesh. VFS is a 3rd party and does not hold any info regarding your visa success
rate.

Go here and register. https://visa.vfsglobal.com/bgd/en/aus/register

Book a new appointment as per below. It will show the next available date in the bottom.

Create one account and you can book appointment for both you and your spouse.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 41
VFS Office Address

VFS Global

1212, Delta Life Tower (4th Floor) Plot # 37

Road, 90 Madani Ave, Gulsha-2, Dhaka

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 42
Process Breakdown

1. Get to Delta life tower after 10am

2. Take token from entrance gate for Australia.
3. Go to lift 4. Easier to go to lift 5 then go one floor down.
4. Stand in line for security check on the left.
5. Enter VFS office for Australia.
6. Another security check. No food, lighter, cigarette allowed.
7. Give documents in the next counter. They'll check and ask you to proceed inside with
another token number.
8. Documents required – Visa application with VLN number, VFS Appointment letter,
Original Passport.
9. Wait until your token is called. Go to the booth.
10. Give all docs again. They'll write you an invoice.
11. Go to the opposite side of the room to the bank counter with the invoice and pay 3272 BDT
in cash.
12. Come back with the sign & sealed invoice back to the booth.
13. They'll give you a final slip with payment completed seal.
14. Wait again until you are assigned to a biometric enrollment booth.
15. Don't try to go directly into the room. Wait until your name is called.
16. Once you're in, the officer will ask your name, date of birth n father's name. Then he'll take
a photo. No specific dress code. But do not wear WHITE or something with print or pattern.
Solid, darker colors are preferable. Shirts or Polo. Then he'll take fingerprints of 10 of your
fingers. Then he'll take your signature and match it with your passport. And you're done.
17. VFS will automatically update your immi form on the same day.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 43
Notify your agent once both the medical and biometric enrollment is done to proceed to final
submission.

Importing immi account

In case your agency refuses to give you access to their account, you can still see the progress of
your visa by importing your application to your own account.

1. Go to https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login and register and log in

2. Go to IMPORT APPLICATION

3.

4.
5. You can find the transaction reference number in the visa application PDF that has your
VLN.
6. Travel document number is your passport number.
7. Travel Document country is Bangladesh
8. Click confirm and you can see your visa application.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 44
 Final Submission

Once both your medical and biometric info is updated and you are sure that you have uploaded all
the required and relevant documents, you can below button to do the final submission.

Once you do, your application will move from Initial assessment to Further Assessment.

After the local physician panel has uploaded your docs, it will look like below –

After medical, you need to wait 10 to 12 days to get medical Clearance from BUPA.
It will look like this –

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 45
After clearance, you will get your visa decision within 2 to 5 days.

The status will change to “Finalised”. Go to the “Messages” section to find the PDF.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 46
TAHSIN NIRZHAR 47
Our Timeline

Visa Lodge: 10th May

Medical: 13th May
Biometric: 15th May
Medical Cleared: 25th May 11 AM
Visa Granted: 26th May 3.30 PM

Medical Clearance will come on Australian Time as its cleared from BUPA in Australia. Visa
Decision will come on India time as its checked from High Commission office at New Delhi.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 48
 VISA Interview

There’s no surefire way of knowing if you’ll get a call from the Embassy. But after final
submission, you should always be ready for it. Keep your phone near you. If you own a
smartwatch, make sure its on you and it vibrates with every call. The call will come from the
Embassy in Delhi, India. So the number will start with +91.

You should have your SOP, COE & Original passport with you at all times. I personally wrote
every detail down in a diary and my wife kept it with her always.

Questions will be directly from your SOP to test if you actually know what you wrote so its best
to memorize your SOP by heart. But, don’t say it like you are reading a book. You should talk
normally.

● Why did you choose this uni?

● Why Australia?
● Why not Bangladesh?
● Who is your sponsor?
● What does he do?
● How much is your fund?
● Which Bank?
● Whats your sponsors regular income and how much?
● How will you find accommodation in Australia?
● Why choose this subject?
● Whats your future goal?
● How is this degree be of use in your future?
● Whats your plan after graduation?
● Who will come with you?
● If your spouse don’t get visa, what will you do?
● Name some courses in your intented subject?
● Total Tuition Fee?

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 49
● How much scholarship did you get?
● How many credit points?
● Which state is the university located?
● If you get a job after studying, what will you do?
● How will you use your Post Work Visa time?

They usually don’t ask this many question but you should be prepared anyway. You MUST be
certain that you will come back to BD after your graduation is done. Do not fall for their trap.
Make him understand that no matter what, you will return to BD after your visa period is up.

Don’t get nervous. Practice, stay calm and answer the questions you already know. IF the visa
officer asks for any document like bank statement in 6 hours. Tell them you need some time
as it takes a while to get the bank statement. Ask for 24 hours and they will agree. Your visa
will not get rejected if you ask politely. Remember, they are calling you to give your visa, not
to refuse you. So don’t give them any extra reason to reject.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 50
 Driving License

Driving license is a must have if you’re going to Australia as a student. You should start your
application when you’re applying for your university as it takes 2.5 months to get the test date.

Go to https://bsp.brta.gov.bd/

Register an account and apply for a learner’s license.

You need to provide some documents including a medical form that has to be signed by a medical
professional. Once you give all doc and pay 500tk fee. They’ll issue a learner’s license with your
exam date printed.

In my case, I registered on 20th March. My test date was 25th May.

On the day of the test, go to the centre as early as you can with the Learner copy and a Black
Ball Point Pen. Both of them are mandatory.

• Stand in line to take a token.

• Stand in the 2nd line with your token and enter into the room for biometric
• They’ll take your photo, signature and fingerprints
• Go out and stand in the 3rd line to sign the attendance sheet. They’ll take 3 signatures.
Each for Written, Oral and Practical.
• Go to Room 307 and wait to get invited into the room for Written Exam.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 51
 • 20 min exam, Both MCQ and written qsns. Very easy. You’ll find them online. You need
to get 12 to pass.
• The result will be posted outside after an hour.
• With your learner, stand in line for the viva. They’ll ask you some road signs meaning.
You can also find this online.
• Then go to the ticket counter to buy a car ticket for 300 to give the practical test. You can
not use your own car. But you can park inside the facility at Joarshara.
• The test is a reverse L shape parking. It is literally rigged for failure. No one during my
time passed the test.
• In this case, best to get a dalal. They hang around outside the facility. Mine took 3500
and helped me skip all the lines and passed my practical test as well. This is an open
secret there. No one passes the practical on their own.
• Then wait for your msg and your online profile will be updated.
• Pay the license fee of 4626 taka either by bank or bkash.
• Within few days, your PDF license will be issued.

I will write about getting an international driving license once I process it myself.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 52
 Air Ticket
Get your tickets as soon as you get the visa to get the best possible price. I myself bought it within
an hour of getting the Visa using a familiar travel agency of mine. CHINA SOUTHER AIRLINES
at 150k for 2 passengers. Yours will vary.

You’re allowed to take 2 check in bags with 35kg total and 1 carry on bag with 8kg. Plan wisely.

Shopping
Yet to do our shopping. Once we finalize our shopping list. Will update this here.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 53
 Random TIPS
● Avoid paying any file opening charge to any agency
● Find a lawyer or notary shop to help you with your documents early on
● See if you have any known police officer in your family that can help with police clearance
● Double check every name, fathers name, mothers name and date of birth in all your
documents and sponsors documents. If theres any mismatch, fix it. Revise the document
or make a “Same Name Affidavit”
● Counselor should give you access to their personal number and should be available in
Whatsapp
● Avoid going to Study Abroad Expos. They’re a waste of time
● Write your own SOP.
● Avoid paying AUD. Pay in USD. Paying in AUD has resulted in some odd bank charges.
● Premier bank has charged few students over 50-60k, 3 months after giving the tuition fee.
They also charge high student file opening charge. I suggest, avoid them.
● Make an International Debit Card when you start applying for university. This will come
in handy later in many ways. You can use this card later in Australia as well.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 54
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

● Can I show shonchoypotro from post office as fund?

o No
● Can I show shonchoypotro from bank?
o Yes but need the original shonchoypotro slip when you first created it
● Can my relative be my sponsor?
o If parents are alive then best not to use them
o If you must, it can only be blood relatives like Mama, Chacha.
o If you use both parents and uncle, uncle’s fund should not be more than 30% of the
whole fund
● Can I work with multiple agencies?
o Yes. Should not be more than 3.
● Can I apply to multiple university?
o Yes. Should not be more than 3
● Can I apply for GTE to multiple university at the same time?
o Yes but your agency may not allow it. Because they have to explain why a student
cleared GTE but did not pay the tuition fee
● Will the university call me for GTE?
o They might. No way to be sure. They’ll ask questions from your SOP
● Can I submit GTE docs while applying for offer letter?
o For some uni like UOW, you can. Consult with your agency.
● Do I must take the OSHC offered by the uni?
o NO. Buy your own if you can find it cheaper
● Which is the best OSHC provider?
o Whichever one is the cheapest.
● How to find accommodation?
o Gumtree, FB Marketplace, Flatmates, FB groups.
o There are people who will find accommodation for a service fee

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 55
● Which cities are non regional?
o Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
● Should I proceed with College?
o Probably shouldn’t. High visa reject ratio
● Can I apply with IELTS 5.5?
o Yes, but you will get EAP courses. Some uni like Federation is refusing to accept
it. So check with your agency. And EAP courses are expensive.
● What is EAP?
o English for Academic Purposes. If your IELTS score is below the minimum
requirement. You need to do 10 weeks of EAP classes.
● Do I need CA Valuation?
o No.
● My parents name in their NID and in my passport are not the same. What to do?
o Make a same name affidavit.
● Where to find affidavit shops?
o Gulshan 2 Zahid plaza, Doinik Bangla Mor, Mohammadpur Town Hall etc.
● What is Notary?
o Notary is a seal and sign by a lawyer stating that your document is authentic and
legit.
● What documents need to be notarized?
o Any document that is translated, needs to notarized.
o Your passport’s every page
o Guarantor Form
● What document need to be translated?
o Anything in bangla like Tax return, Nikahnama, Flat/Plot deeds.
● Can I do police certificate from present address?
o NO
● My address is NID and Passport is different?
o Doesn’t matter.
● If I import my visa application to my own ID, will it create any problem?

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 56
 o NO
● How many times can I check my visa status?
o As many times as you want.
● Can I drive using Bangladeshi driving license?
o Yes, not sure for how long
● Do I need the smart card?
o No but you should get the international driving license
● How to get the international driving license
o Search in youtube.
● Professional or Non-Professional License?
o Non-Professional
● Can parents-in -law be my sponsor?
o Yes but not fully. Your own parents need to show funds.
● USD or AUD?
o You should pay via USD. Less hassle. Paying with AUD may result in a lot of extra
charges
● How much money should I take with me?
o As much as you can. But a minimum of 1000 AUD should be with you.
● Is Covid certificate mandatory?
o Yes
● Is Covid test needed before flying?
o No, but China Southern Airlines need it. Check your airline. Australia has no
requirement.
● Do I need masks?
o No. But you should wear it anyway.
● What is the luggage limit?
o Usually 35kg in a big luggage and 7kg as a carry on luggage. Laptop bags can be
separate but it cannot hold anything other than a laptop

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 57
● Do I must have a bank account in a particular bank to send tuition fee through them?
o Yes
● Does student file mean a bank account?
o No. Student file is simply like a folder in their computer where they store all the
information about the student. It is not a bank account. The money will go from the
sponsors account.
● The sponsor account used for sending the tuition fee and the sponsor of my actual funds,
need to be the same guy?
o No. You can send the fees from any bank, any account and any country.
● Can I use my own bank account to send the fees?
o Sure but I would advise against it.
● Waiting for a lot of days for offer letter. What to do?
o Mail the university. Call them
● How long does it take for the payment to complete to university?
o 3 to 5 days
● How long to get COE?
o 3 to 10 days
● How much study gap is accepted?
o Any, if you have evidence to proof what you did during that gap. Usually job
experience, or other university enrollment documents
● Can I transfer credits from my university?
o Yes, consult agency
● Can I transfer from university to college after arriving?
o Yes, after 6 months but I would advise against it as it sets a bad precedent for future
students. University will NOT like it if our students keep doing this and eventually
they will stop offering admissions to Bangldesh
● What’s the average tuition fee?
o For Masters. 10 to 15k per semester.
● Does Australia provide full scholarships?

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 58
 o No. Only in some research based masters degree, you may get fund but you have
to manage a professor. Same process as USA and Canada.
● Is TA/RA available?
o No
● Does the uni offer housing?
o Yes, most do. But they do not offer couple housing
● Does Australia have day care?
o Yes but very expensive.
● How many hours can a student work?
o 24 hours per week
● How many hours can spouse work?
o Unlimited
● Cash jobs available?
o Yes. But, illegal. So be careful.
● What is TFN?
o Tax File Number. You need it to get a job and get paid in your bank account. Open
it as soon as you arrive
● What is ABN?
o Australian Business Number. You need it to do your own business. This includes
Uber Delivery.
● What’s the minimum wage?
o 20 – 22$
● My relative is a citizen in Australia. Will it help me get visa?
o No
● How to get a job quickly?
o You need a referral from someone in Australia.
● What if I cant find accommodation before leaving?
o Book hotel rooms, Air BnB. 30 days expense will be close to 3 lakh taka. Around
10,000 BDT per day

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 59
● Will university send the COE directly to me?
o No, your agent will receive it
● Can I apply without agency?
o Yes. But it is harder and you may need to pay application fee
● How much is application fee?
o Free if you apply via an agency. Around 100 AUD if you do it alone.
● Why doesn’t AUS provide higher scholarships?
o Because this is a business for them. The whole education system is a way for them
to earn money. Just like the UK. That’s why their university representatives come
to BD to recruit student. This is also why EVERYONE gets offer letters. No matter
what your result is.
● What’s the weather like? I don’t like Hot temperatures.
o Sydney & Melbourne is quite cold even in summer with temps below 30. Some
places like Perth, Darwin have higher temps like 32+. But the open breeze and
cleaner air still makes it a much better weather to live in.
● How to get PR?
o That’s a broad question. Australia has a point system. You need to have certain
number of points to apply for PR. That includes your job, skills, education, IELTS,
Age etc. Consult with a migration agent to know more.
● Can I get PR in Non-reg areas?
o Very hard to get PR in Sydney or Melbourne. Try moving to Reg areas like
Tasmania, Perth or Darwin to get better chances.
● Is Tax return mandatory?
o No, Tin is mandatory.
● Can I go to Australia after SSC?

o Possible, search fb for agency

● Can I take my spouse later?

o Yes

● Can I take my parents?

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 60
 o Yes, but with visit visa

● Is Some banks banned?

o Yes. Consult agency

● After visa lodgement, how many days to get mail for bio and medical?

o Within 24 hours

● Any blood test?

o NO

● Will it be a problem if i smoke?

o No

● Best sites to check plane fare?

o Sharetrip, Flightexpert, Gozayaan, Skyscanner

● How many days required to get police clearance?

o 7 to 20 days

● Passport attestation mandatory for PCC?

o Yes.

● Ward Councilor certificate mandatory for PCC?

o No

● How long does it take to get medical clearance?

o 10 to 12 days (July 23 Intake)

● How much foreign currency can I endorse in my passport?

o 10,000 USD

● When should I apply for police clearance?

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 61
 o Right after getting GTE clearance. Do it early cuz this can take up to 20 days to
clear. Plan accordingly.

● I have 10 years experience in Sales, Can I apply Masters of IT?

o No, your job experience should be related to your intended course. Otherwise you
may not get GTE clearance

● My Intake is Feb 24. When should I give IELTS/PTE?

o As soon as possible. Preferably within August 23.

● Can I get offer letter with IELTS?

o Yes, but it will be conditional. To get unconditional offer, you need IELTS score

● Can I get medical clearance of visa decision of Saturday and Sunday?

o No

● Can I get visa decision after 1PM?

o Yes, possible. Till 5 pm

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 62
This file will be updated based on my own experience as I go through it myself. So check back in
for updates later.

Again, All of these are based on my personal experience and yours will surely vary. So, please
don’t hold me liable for any info given here. Use it at your own risk.

If you have any suggestions or want me to fix any mistake, Feel free to knock me and I’ll revise
it.

Wishing you all a happy journey.

TAHSIN NIRZHAR 63