A Comprehensive Guide to Crack the Australian Student Visa Interview at One Shot

You’ve heard it over and over, and over again;

“Go and study in Australia.”

“You will learn how to communicate across different cultures and become more independent”

“It will increase your employment prospects and help you to grow personally as well as professionally”.

Though Australia is one of the best destinations for students offering world-class universities and an affordable lifestyle, applying for its student visa Australia has its own set of challenges.

It comes as no news that, if you who want to go Australia or any other country to study you need to acquire a student visa. It allows doing a full-time course or working for a specific period after the completion of course.

The Immigration Department needs to be satisfied that the applicant legitimately intends to undertake further education in Australia. This is why, the visa interview takes place, which is usually taken once the student has received a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) and submitted the GTE (Genuine Temporary Entrant) for assessment.

Such interviews are generally telephonic, taken by the trained professionals, where the applicants are supposed to provide a statement addressing their reasons for choosing to study in Australia rather than in their home country and how the chosen course is relevant to their academic or employment background.

Hence, preparation is a must regardless of financial security or educational background.

Given below is the assessment conducted in the form of Interview with sample question and answers:

• What is the purpose of your trip?
  This question is mainly asked to verify the information submitted in the visa application. Make sure you state the same purpose as in application (For example: I want to pursue higher education in Australia)
  
  
• What is your qualification?
  Provide a brief overview of your degree and the university you are graduated from. (For example: I am an MBA graduate from XYZ university)
  
  
• Why did you choose Australia for studies?
  Currently, Australia is one of the leading education powerhouses with a range of quality study options for local and international students. It also has a strong international reputation for excellence; hence I chose this country to build a strong foundation for my future success.
  
  
• Have you visited Australia before?
  You need to provide an appropriate answer for this question. If you’ve been to Australia just mention the reason for the trip along with the year of visit.
  
  
• How did you find the university and why you want to get admission in it?
  I did an extensive research on this university and found out that all their programs are well-structured and suitable for the field I want to step in. As a result, I decided to take guidance from the education consultants for the visa process. (Mention the name of the education consultants if asked)
  
  
• Where is the university located?
  Since you have done a thorough research before applying in a university, visa officer expects you to tell its location correctly. (You can say, for instance, The University is located in Melbourne and its name is XYZ.)
  
  
• Can you please tell me something about your course?
  Provide an honest statement mentioning about your course. (For example, it is a Master of Social Entrepreneurship which includes exploration of social enterprise field, impact investing, environmental sustainability and global social impact.)
  
  
• What is the scope or benefit of your course?
  This course will provide me many opportunities to get higher job prospects in multinational firms whether at local or international level.
  
  
• How much does your course cost?
  Here you need to provide the exact cost quoted in your Certificate of Enrolment (COE).
  
  
• Where did you complete your education before applying in Australia?
  Provide detailed information on your academic qualifications and the university you studied in.
  
  
• Could you please show me your TOEFL/IELTS/PTE results?
  My IELTS band score is 7.5 in Reading, 7.0 in Listening, 6.5 in speaking and 8.0 in writing.
  
  
• Why you have scored so low in speaking?
  Yes, I got little confused. It took me a while to understand from where to start, thus failed to manage the given time effectively.
  
  
• How will you manage to finance your living expenses during your course of study in Australia?
  Here you can provide bank statement or loan documents as your documentary proof to support your living expenses.
  
  
• What are your plans after completing your course in Australia?
  As the student visa does not permit to continue living in Australia once the course is finished, you need to provide an answer that strongly shows your desire to return to your home country.
  
  
• What will you do during your semester breaks?
  I will come back to visit my family and friends.
  
  
• Who is sponsoring you finance?
  Name the person who is going to sponsor and your relationship with the person. Also, mention the reason why the sponsor is helping you in finance.
  
  
• What does your father do for a living and what is his annual income?
  Provide a statement that clearly demonstrates your father’s occupation and his annual income. You may also need to provide details of the amount your father pay to income tax.
  
  
• Why you should be granted for a student visa?
  I never had any gaps in my studies. Besides, the transcripts and certificates from school clearly show that I am a genuine student.

Related Read: Do you need an Australian student visa 500? Follow checklist in one Click

• What your course commencement and completion date?
  Tell them the joining date of your course and at what date it will end.
  
  
• How can you ensure you’ll return back to your home country after completing your course of study in Australia?
  Well, my only aim to get this visa is to get quality education from Australia and serve my nation. I also have many responsibilities towards my family so I need to come back to look after and take care of them.
  
  
• Do you have any idea about the refund policy? If yes, then please explain.
  Yes I know about it.
  • International students who cancel their admission to a program of study before semester commencement will be charged the fee equivalent to a single subject fee.
  • These penalties are waived where a student cancels due to serious illness or personal misadventure – as deemed by the DVC.
  • Fees are credited to students’ account and are held for a period of twelve months, after which the monies will be forfeited.
  • International students whose visa application is rejected will receive a full refund of fees. Proof of visa rejection must be submitted to the Office of Admissions in writing.
    
    
• Do you know about OSHC and why it is necessary for an international student to apply?
  Yes, its full form is Overseas Student Health Cover. It is a health insurance necessary for international students in case they get sick or injured during the course of study.
  
  
• What if your visa gets rejected?
  I will make sure not to repeat the mistake and prepare again for the whole visa process thoroughly.

The visa interview typically lasts for 10-15 minutes. It is important to make the most of this time since your career is at stake. To present yourself as a genuine candidate, you can also take the assistance of Overseas Education Consultants. Not only the agents prepare you for the interview but also help in the document preparation and ensure a higher success rate for visa approval.