Deferring Course Start Date - Obligation With Regards to Visa?

[Semp]

International student here.

 

If I defer my course start date a few months, and as a result obviously move my completion date back, do I need to re-apply for my student visa before I start my course, or can I start the course on the visa already approved, and simply apply again later on for the visa to be extended with a new CoE?

 

Thanks

[blossom]

It's a condition of your visa that you attend 80% of the lessons on the course you are registered for.

Also, you can't come in on a student visa too far in advance, so you could have issues there depending on your plans.

 

I'd go to a Mara agent to find out for sure, but I'd be expecting that your current visa would be cancelled and then a new one issued with your new start date (as that affects working also).

[Semp]

I wouldn't be missing any of my course... Id simply be moving my start date back two months.

 

I believe you're allowed to arrive three months before your course starts. I'd be arriving in late November with a revised course start in January. Original visa was granted in September.

[Bungo]

I wouldn't be missing any of my course... Id simply be moving my start date back two months.

 

I believe you're allowed to arrive three months before your course starts. I'd be arriving in late November with a revised course start in January. Original visa was granted in September.

 

I am not an expert in student visas, but I would be most surprised if you can spend three months in Australia on a student visa prior to course commencing. I would agree with Blossom that if you want to change your course start you need to change your visa. Your visa was granted for a specific course with a specific start date.

[Semp]

I cant find it on DIBP's site, but just doing a quick search, 90 days before course start date seems to be widely accepted as the norm...

 

Regardless of that, could a MARA please chime in here if you don't mind clearing this up?

 

If I need to apply for another visa before I arrive, do I need to have the current one cancelled or can I just apply for another one with a new CoE, with the old one automatically cancelled when the new one is granted?

[Bungo]

I cant find it on DIBP's site, but just doing a quick search, 90 days before course start date seems to be widely accepted as the norm...

 

Regardless of that, could a MARA please chime in here if you don't mind clearing this up?

 

If I need to apply for another visa before I arrive, do I need to have the current one cancelled or can I just apply for another one with a new CoE, with the old one automatically cancelled when the new one is granted?

 

Widely accepted as the norm by whom? It sounds extraordinary to me.

[blossom]

The problem is that your visa has been granted for a specific course. Your education place has to let immigration know that you are attending at least 80% of THAT course. If you defer then you are not attending the course your visa was granted for.

 

As for the 90 days thing. They won't grant a visa before that. So if you have a visa which is already valid, but your course starts more than 90 days from the visa start date I would think that would be a problem.

 

You might have to contact an agent directly. They don't all read all of the posts.

[AnnetteV]

At the university where I work I was told an international student can only defer if the student has compelling reasons, like health issues or death in the near family. As said earlier contact your agent or a MARA agent if you don't already have an agent. At my university we would ask immigration to cancel your current visa if you could not show compelling reasons.

[Semp]

FYI - for anyone else ever in a similar situation, I didn't have to re-apply for my visa before entering Australia... They didn't care. I called DIBP and they didn't even want me to fill out the "change in circumstances" form, that I thought I would for sure need to.

 

I entered Oz on the same visa I had applied for and been granted for the original course that I had deferred.

 

I do still have to re-apply before the old visa expires, as the old one is not valid long enough for me to complete the new course dates, but not before entering Oz.

[ali]

FYI - for anyone else ever in a similar situation, I didn't have to re-apply for my visa before entering Australia... They didn't care. I called DIBP and they didn't even want me to fill out the "change in circumstances" form, that I thought I would for sure need to.

 

I entered Oz on the same visa I had applied for and been granted for the original course that I had deferred.

 

I do still have to re-apply before the old visa expires, as the old one is not valid long enough for me to complete the new course dates, but not before entering Oz.

 

Lets hope they grant you the 2nd visa so you can complete your course.

[Jojo192837]

On 11/24/2016 at 11:36, Semp said:

FYI - for anyone else ever in a similar situation, I didn't have to re-apply for my visa before entering Australia... They didn't care. I called DIBP and they didn't even want me to fill out the "change in circumstances" form, that I thought I would for sure need to.

 

I entered Oz on the same visa I had applied for and been granted for the original course that I had deferred.

 

I do still have to re-apply before the old visa expires, as the old one is not valid long enough for me to complete the new course dates, but not before entering Oz.

Hi Semp, 

Could you please tell us how many months early did you enter Oz? I'm facing a similar situation as my course was deffered to 7 months from now (to Feb 2018). My education agency is telling me I can still travel on the same (July 2017 admission) visa right now if I wanted. I don't want to be sent back from the airport due to wrong info. Please let me know.