Australia Student Visa (Subclass 500) Document Checklist for Consultancies — 2026

Australia remains the most common destination for Nepali students, and the Subclass 500 application is well understood — which is exactly why the same three mistakes keep happening. This checklist is organised the way a consultancy collects documents: by stage, not alphabetically.

Requirements change. Treat this as a working checklist to review against the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement, not as immigration advice.

Stage 1 — Before the application (collect at counselling)

These are needed to apply to the institution, and every one of them will be needed again for the visa.

| Document | Notes | |---|---| | Passport | Bio-data page. Must remain valid for the full course length plus six months. Check the expiry now, not at lodgement. | | Academic transcripts | Every year of the highest qualification completed. | | Academic certificates | Degree, +2 / A-Level, SEE. | | English test report | IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT or OET. Valid two years from the test date — record that date. | | Passport-size photographs | Australian spec. | | Statement of Purpose / CV | The CV matters where there is work experience or a study gap. |

The mistake at this stage: an English score that will have expired by the time the visa is lodged. Two years feels long; a deferred intake eats it.

Stage 2 — After the offer (the documents that unlock lodgement)

| Document | Notes | |---|---| | Letter of Offer | From the institution. | | Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) | Issued only after the offer is accepted and the deposit is received. Without a CoE the visa cannot be lodged. | | Genuine Student (GS) statement | Replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement in 2024. It is a set of structured questions about the applicant's circumstances, the course choice and what it offers them — not a long essay. Counsellors should prepare students to answer honestly and specifically. | | Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) | Must cover the entire visa period, from arrival to the end of the course. Buy for the full duration, not the first year. |

The mistake at this stage: the gap between offer and CoE. The student accepts, the deposit transfer takes days to clear, the institution takes days to issue the CoE, and nobody is watching. Set a task the day the deposit is sent.

Stage 3 — Financial evidence

Home Affairs wants to see the applicant can cover tuition, living costs and travel. The living-cost figure is updated periodically; check the current number.

| Document | Notes | |---|---| | Bank statements | Applicant's or sponsor's. Recent, and showing the source of funds — a sudden large deposit invites questions. | | Income evidence | Salary certificates, business registration, tax documents, property valuation or rental income for the sponsor. | | Sponsor documents | Relationship proof (citizenship certificate, birth certificate), a sponsorship letter, and the sponsor's own ID. | | Education loan sanction letter | If a loan is used. From a recognised bank. |

The mistake at this stage: funds that appear the week before lodgement. Prepare the financial picture months out.

Stage 4 — Health and character

| Document | Notes | |---|---| | Health examination | Through a panel physician approved by Home Affairs. Can be done before or after lodgement via the HAP ID. | | Police clearance certificate | Required in many cases, always for applicants who have lived in another country for 12 months or more. |

Stage 5 — Lodgement

Applications are lodged online through ImmiAccount. Have on hand: the CoE number, the OSHC policy number, passport details and every document above as a scanned colour copy.

After lodgement, the biometric and health steps are completed if not already done, and the application sits with the Department. Track the status and the passport expiry — both.

Putting the checklist to work

A checklist in a document is read once. A checklist attached to each student is checked every time the file is opened.

A consultancy CRM should create this list automatically when a student's destination is set to Australia, show which items are received and which are missing, flag expiring items (English test, passport), and tie the whole set to the application record so the counsellor and the student both see the same status.

Qylantis CRM ships this checklist — and fourteen others — pre-loaded, and the student portal shows the family exactly which documents are still outstanding. Start free, or read the companion Canada study permit checklist.