Essential information for Student Visa Holders

To study with SCU in Australia, an international student must:

• Apply for an SCU course offered to onshore international students, and
• Meet all admission requirements, including English language requirements, and
• Be assessed as a Genuine Student; and
• Receives, signs and returns a letter of offer from SCU

If an international student accepts an offer from SCU, we will issue you with an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) that lists the start and end dates of your course. This must be submitted with your visa application as proof of your offer of enrolment at SCU.

The Department of Home Affairs has additional requirements and assessments for granting a visa, including the requirement to obtain overseas health care coverage for the duration of your visa and demonstrating financial capacity to support yourself in Australia.

SCU can cancel your COE if you do not comply with the requirements of your offer and/or your student visa and this will be reported to the Department of Home Affairs. If you do not have an active COE, your student visa could be cancelled.

Student visa holders are required to undertake a full-time study to ensure they complete their course by the end date listed on their COE. At SCU, this means:

• At least eight units (96 Credit Points) each year as per your study plan and
• Enrolment in at least one face-to-face (on campus) unit of study in the term that you commence and in each compulsory study period (Terms 1, 2, 3, and 4) and
• Enrolment in any compulsory placement or research unit on your study plan; and
• No more than 33% of units were studied in an online (external) mode, and
• Enrolment in Terms 5 and Summer Term, depending on your study plan, or subject to unit availability to accelerate or catch up on your studies.

If you become unwell or experience circumstances that impact your studies that meet the Compassionate and Compelling Circumstances for Onshore International Students - Guidelines / Document / Policy Library (scu.edu.au), you can apply to:

• Defer your studies if you have not yet commenced or
• Suspend your studies if you have commenced them.

You must apply as specified in the policy and provide formal documentation that supports your application, such as a doctor’s certificate.

If your application is approved, you can take a leave of absence for the approved period.

Students should note that you may need to leave Australia if your course suspension is for an extended period of time. Leave may also impact your progression and require an extension of your COE if you cannot catch up on your studies to complete by the end date of your COE. This may also require you to extend your student visa.

You should be familiar with the Enrolment Deferment, Suspension and Cancellation Procedures - International Students / Document / Policy Library (scu.edu.au), and contact the Department of Home Affairs if you have questions about how leave might impact your visa.

If you are made an offer to a course, or package of courses at SCU, you must study with Southern Cross University for at least six (6) months. If you have come to study in a packaged course, you must complete at least six months of study at your principle course, which is the course with the highest AQF level within the package.

If you are experiencing academic or personal problems, you can access support from SCU and International Student Support Services to help you to settle in your studies and life in Australia.

If you experience exceptional circumstances and wish to change to a course at another provider before you complete 6 months of your principal course, you will need to apply for a release, as per the International Student Transfer Request Policy / Document / Policy Library (scu.edu.au).

This requires you to:

• complete an application, including supporting documentation, and
• meet with an International Student Advisor, and
• Provide evidence of an offer of a course at another provider, which should be at the same AQF level or higher than your SCU course.

If your release is approved, you can accept the offer from the other provider but you should contact the Department of Home Affairs to ensure there is no impact on your visa. If your application is declined, you must remain enrolled at SCU for at least 6 months.

If you do not remain enrolled without an approved leave of absence, your COE will be cancelled for abandonment of studies and this may result in the cancellation of your student visa.

If you wish to change to another course at Southern Cross University at any time, you should speak to an International Student Advisor about whether you meet the admission requirements and if transfer is possible.

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress as a condition of their student visa. We want you to succeed in your studies, so make sure you visit the academic policies and procedures page for more information relating to assessment and progression, exclusion, student query of grade, special consideration, leave of absence and withdrawal.

If you do not maintain satisfactory progress, you will be placed on an intervention strategy to help you improve your academic performance and connect with support services. If you do not engage with the intervention strategy, or your performance does not improve, your COE may be cancelled for failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Students on a Student Visa must notify the University of their contact details, including their address, within seven days of arriving in Australia by completing the contact details in My Enrolment. If your contact details or address, or the address or phone number of your emergency contact, you must update this in My Enrolment within seven days. This is a mandatory government requirement that applies for the duration of studies. The University staff also uses this information to stay in contact with students.

International Students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their courses are in session and unlimited hours during non-compulsory study periods (T5, Summer Term unless undertaking a compulsory unit, placement or project at that time) or holiday periods. A fortnight is defined as fourteen days starting on a Monday, and work is defined as any type of work, whether paid, unpaid or voluntary.

If a core unit of your course has mandatory work placement hours, you are allowed to work these in addition to the 24 allowable hours per week, to the maximum hours per week required for the placement. If your course has mandatory work placement, the additional hours are listed in the CRICOS register in your course details.

Higher Degree by Research (HDR) student visa holders have unlimited work hours once study has commenced, allowing them to engage in employment-related research.

Any dependent of the student visa holder can work unlimited hours if the student is studying a Master's by course work, Master's by research or Doctoral, or government-sponsored students.

It is your responsibility to ensure you do not exceed the allowable work hours, as this is a breach of your student visa conditions.

It is a requirement of your student visa that you hold overseas student health cover (OSHC) for yourself and any dependents for the duration of your course or visa, whichever is longer. SCU can assist you to obtain cover with BUPA or you can obtain cover with another approved provider.

The University has a commitment to seeking feedback from students and acknowledges the right of students to complain if they are dissatisfied. The University has established a complaints framework to provide timely and fair resolution of complaints. The complaints framework will help you to decide how to proceed with your complaint or concern. More information is available about making a complaint on the Feedback and Complaints webpage.

Students have the right to natural justice and can appeal some decisions made if they disagree. The process for appealing differs depending on the nature of the appeal. You can find information about this on the Student Appeals webpage.

There are a range of policies and procedures relating to students, student conduct and academic processes that are available on the SCU Policy website if you filter for Students by Audience.

There are many avenues for help at the University, including learning support, personal support, medical assistance, safety support, and student advocacy. The best point of contact is the International Student Support team, who can help you or refer you to the assistance you need. You can find their contact details at your campus on the International Student Support webpage.