DIACMjrChng573Sep08 - Australian Embassy

Australian Embassy

Vietnam

Embassy address: 8 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi - Telephone: 3774 0100 - Fax: 3774 0111

MAJOR PROCESSING CHANGES FOR SUBCLASS 573 (HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR) VISAS

The Australian Embassy in Hanoi and the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City continue to receive a large number or applications and to maintain our improved service standards, we are seeking your cooperation in ensuring that all student applications are complete and ready for decision at the time of lodgement.

PRE-LODGEMENT HEALTH EXAMINATIONS AVAILABLE FROM 01 SEPTEMBER 2008

In order to be granted a Higher Education (Subclass 573) visa, all applicants must meet the health requirement for travel to Australia. From 01 September 2008, we are changing our processes to encourage students to undertake their medicals with one of our panel doctors prior to lodging the student application.

How does pre-lodgement medical processing work?

Students wishing to undertake their medical assessment before they lodge their student visa application should do the following:

1) Make an appointment with one of our approved panel doctors.

See: http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/v/vietnam/panel-doctors.htm

2) Complete the "Applicant's details" section of forms 26 and 160 which can be obtained from our Australian Visa Application Centres or downloaded free of charge from the internet:

Form 26 - Medical Examination for an Australian Visa, see: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/26.pdf

Form 160 - Radiological report on chest x-ray of applicant for an Australian visa, see: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/160.pdf

3) Attach passport sized photos to the top right hand corner of each form.

4) Attend the appointment with the panel doctor ensuring that their already completed forms and their Vietnamese passport as identification* are taken.

5) Lodge completed student visa application and all required documentation including the receipt from the panel doctor attached as confirmation that the health examination has already taken place.

* IMPORTANT NOTICE: from 01 September 2008, the only acceptable form of identification for health examinations is a signed and original Vietnamese passport. Vietnamese Identity Cards (ID) will no longer be accepted by our panel doctors as proof of identity.

LODGING DECISION-READY APPLICATIONS

For an assessment level 2 student visa application to be considered decision-ready at time of lodgement, it must include:

Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE);
Evidence that Overseas Health Cover (OSHC) has been paid for at least a period of one year;
Evidence of loan disbursement for applications where the student's funds are being provided through a loan from a financial institution.

To avoid delays and to submit a ready for decision application, we would also encourage applicants to submit the following original documents upfront:

Original bank books;
Original High School Records;
Confirmation that a health examination has already been attended (see above).

USING BANK LOANS OR CREDIT LINES AS EVIDENCE OF FUNDS

Student applicants using a bank loan or credit line from a Vietnamese financial institution will be required to provide evidence of disbursement of that loan/credit line in order to satisfy the financial requirements for a student visa.

What is required to demonstrate evidence of disbursement?

As has always been the practice, in order to be satisfied that a credit line with a financial institution has been disbursed, we require:

A notarised copy of the property mortgage contract;
A notarised copy of the house ownership/land use right certificate of the property being mortgaged;
The property evaluation minutes;
The receipt of handling the ownership of the mortgaged property;
Evidence of secured transaction registration;
The debit note;
The disbursement voucher;
The money transfer telex.

Accuracy of loan documents

Applicants and their agents are advised to check loan documentation thoroughly before lodging student applications to ensure that the loan details are correct. Loans that have incorrect details (i.e. incorrect student name or have been drawn up for periods of less than 12 months) will not satisfy the financial requirements and the application may be refused.

Important Note:

Where there are concerns about a loan-holder capacity to finance the loan, it is open to the processing office to request evidence of the loan-holder's income stream.

Further information

For further information on Higher Education Sector visas, please refer to the "Subclass 573 checklist", see: http://www.vietnam.embassy.gov.au/hnoi/DIACChklst573.html

Last updated 23 August 2008