Student visa for Australia, for students from Guinea-Bissau

A visa is normally needed

As a citizen of Guinea-Bissau you will normally need a student visa or residence permit for Australia before your course starts. Some nationalities may enter Australia without a visa and apply for the residence permit there instead; check the official page below for the rule that applies to your passport.

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The full Australia guide What a year costs

The numbers

Money you must show: AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs
Visa fee: AUD 2,500
Work while you study: 48 hours a fortnight when the course is in session, unlimited during breaks
Stay after you graduate: Subclass 485, 2-3 years for degree level, up to 18 months vocational. Age 35 or under.

The visa

Subclass 500. The fee is AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026, the third sharp rise in three years: AUD 710, then 1,600 in July 2024, then 2,000 in July 2025, now 2,500. Australia now has the most expensive student visa in the English-speaking world by a wide margin. A concession keeps the prior charge for applicants from ASEAN nations, Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste, and for independent ELICOS students.

The money: AUD 29,710 for twelve months of living costs, unchanged since 10 May 2024. Anything quoting AUD 24,505 is two revisions stale. This is the living-costs component only: the full test also requires your first year's tuition and travel, so a student on AUD 50,000 tuition must show roughly AUD 82,000 in total.

Overseas Student Health Cover is mandatory and your visa will be refused without proof of it. Six approved insurers; budget roughly AUD 650-1,100 a year for single cover. It excludes dental, optical and physiotherapy and caps pharmaceuticals.

Processing times are not reliably published: allow four to twelve weeks for higher education from offshore, and considerably longer for vocational, where scrutiny is now heavy.

Where to apply

At the embassy or consulate of Australia that covers Guinea-Bissau, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.

Questions students ask

Do students from Guinea-Bissau need a visa to study in Australia?

As a citizen of Guinea-Bissau you will normally need a student visa or residence permit for Australia before your course starts. Some nationalities may enter Australia without a visa and apply for the residence permit there instead; check the official page below for the rule that applies to your passport.

How much money do I need to show for a Australia student visa?

AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs. Unchanged since 10 May 2024. Tuition and travel are additional. (source: Study Australia (Austrade), checked 2026-09-24).

Can I work while I study in Australia?

48 hours a fortnight when the course is in session, unlimited during breaks.

This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.

What next?

1Universities in AustraliaPlaces to study, with what each teaches 2Scholarships for students from Guinea-BissauEvery scheme open to your nationality 3Work out your first yearTuition, living and visa money, in your currency

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