Visa renewals
If your current student visa is due to expire and you intend to study a further course or extend your current course, you will need to renew/extend your student visa before it expires.
Step 1: Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE)
Firstly you need a new Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE) from Swinburne International. You must hold a valid eCOE before you can apply for the new visa or visa extension.
To apply for a new eCOE you need to download and complete the following forms:
You will then need to bring the following documents to Swinburne International:
- Passport and current visa (please state if you have an electronic visa)
- Receipt for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) membership valid until your new expected VISA expiry date1
1. You do not need OSHC if you are:
- a Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme
- a Swedish student covered by the National Board of Student Aid or by Kammarkollegiet
- a Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia
If you are applying for a visa extension of your current course, you will also need to provide a letter from your Faculty/TAFE School administration stating the new completion date of your course*.
*Excepting Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts students.
Note that there are restrictions on international students extending their program duration and DIAC may not allow a visa extension. The issuing of an eCOE to cover an increase in program duration is not automatic and can only be done in certain situations.
If an eCOE can be issued it may take some time to process, so apply early.
Besides your eCOE, you will need:
- A health check if you have not had one in the previous twelve months. You can make an appointment online at Medibank Health Solutions.
- Read about the student visas document checklists on the DIAC website.
- A Visa Application Form 157A or other visa forms
Step 2: Apply to renew your visa with DIAC Online
If you are issued with a new eCOE, you can apply to DIAC to renew your visa online.
We recommend that you lodge your visa application up to six weeks before your new course starts and/or before your visa expires.
You can pay by Credit Card or BPay. A transaction receipt will be generated which you should print out and retain. A confirmation email will also be sent to you. You may be granted a bridging visa to ensure you remain lawful while your application is assessed.
If you don’t lodge your visa application electronically, you need to print out a paper application form 157A which can be downloaded from the DIAC website.
If you are changing your current course you will also need to apply for a new Confirmation of Enrolment. However if your education provider, course level and duration will remain the same as your old course, you may not need to apply for a new visa.
You must remain with Swinburne for the first 6 calendar months of your principal course. This restriction includes any preliminary courses prior to your principal course in a package offer.
Where a student requests a transfer within this period, Swinburne will assess the request against its Student Transfer Request Assessment Policy and Procedure. Students will only be permitted to transfer in limited circumstances.
Transferring to a new course within Swinburne is not automatic. Students wanting to change course may consult Swinburne International regarding how to apply.
