Student visa

You must continue to satisfy the requirements for the grant of your student visa. This means, for example, that you continue to have sufficient financial capacity to support your study and stay in Australia.

International student fees are stated in your letter of offer and CoE before commencing at CDU. Fees must be paid in full by the first day of classes each semester. If you have any questions regarding payment of your fees, please contact Student Central.

As a student visa holder, it is required that students remain financially able to pay their fees. The financial struggle cannot be considered when assessing other applications such as CoE extension and Reduced study load.

More information about payment methods, visit Pay your CDU fees.

According to your student visa conditions, you must tell your education provider:

• the address where you live in Australia within seven days of arriving in Australia
• if you change the address where you live within seven days of the change
• if you change education provider within seven days of receiving the electronic confirmation of enrolment certificate or evidence of enrolment.

If you move or change your mailing address, it is your responsibility to immediately update those details on MyStudentInfo.

Under the policy, you must maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), during your stay in Australia. If there are changes in your personal circumstances after your arrival in Australia which require an upgrade in your OSHC policy, you must contact your OSHC provider to organise the change in your policy.

Charles Darwin University organises OSHC cover through Allianz Care Australia*. Allianz Care Australia is here to assist and provide services and information that make it easy to understand and use the health cover available while studying in Australia.

OSHC is health insurance for international students that provides cover for the costs of:

• Out of hospital medical treatment
• In hospital medical treatment
• Prescription medicines
• Surgically implanted prostheses
• Emergency ambulance transport

Full policy benefits, limits and exclusions are available in their policy wording document.

In addition to the government-mandated health cover required for student visa purposes, Allianz Care Australia provide wellbeing, safety and assistance services as well as increased access to gap-free medical services to support you. These services include:

• 24/7 Australian based telehealth services powered by Doctors on Demand
• access to our network of direct billing providers available via Find a doctor
• 24/7 confidential support for safety, medical and mental health needs via chat, on the phone or in-person powered by Sonder.

For any queries about your OSHC, you can meet Allianz representative Anna Le in Building Red 8, Room 1.07a – Casuarina Library, Wednesday and Thursday (10 am - 3pm).

Anna can be contacted by email. 

You can also arrange equivalent health cover through any preferred provider. If you extend your studies, you must renew your OSHC. 

*Allianz Care Australia Overseas Student Health Cover policies are authorised under a Deed entered into between Peoplecare Health Limited and the Australian Government through the Department of Health and Aged Care. Allianz Care Australia Overseas Student Health Cover is managed by AWP Australia Pty Ltd ABN 52 097 227 177 trading as Allianz Care Australia. Peoplecare Health Limited ABN 95 087 648 753, a private health insurer under the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 (Cth), is the underwriter of Allianz Care Australia Overseas Student Health Cover policies. *The Allianz MyHealth App is only accessible to dependants over the age of 18 years old and OSHC single policyholders over the age of 16. **The cost of any medicines and delivery fees is payable by the member. Terms and conditions apply. For details see: allianzcare.com.au/en/doctors-on-demand/terms.html ^Only available to OSHC members aged 18 and above. Sonder is available to Allianz Care Australia OSHC policyholders who have purchased policies from selected education agents and institutions. Visit sonderau.com/allianzcare for eligibility and T&Cs.

As an international student in Australia, you are permitted to work part-time when your course is in session.

Work and your visa

Student visa work restrictions were relaxed throughout the pandemic, and completely removed in January 2022 to allow primary and secondary student visa holders to work over their normal limit of 40 hours per fortnight to address workforce shortages. This will end on 30 June 2023.

From 1 July 2023, work restrictions for student visa holders will be re-introduced and capped at the increased rate of 48 hours per fortnight. This ensures that student visa holders are able to focus on obtaining a quality Australian education and qualification, while remaining able to support themselves financially, gain valuable work experience, and contribute to Australia’s workforce need.

To see the visa conditions that affect your work situation, see VEVO.

Finding work

Our Careers and Employment team can help with all matters relating to building your career.

Contact the Careers and Employment team and improve your chances of securing the career that you want by talking with expert staff and accessing resources that will build your skills and knowledge to give you a competitive edge in the job market.

Your rights at work

Everyone who works in Australia, including international students, is protected by a set of workers’ rights. For example, it’s illegal for a potential employer to ask you to work for free as a trial. Other rights include getting formal pay slips, working in safe conditions, and being comfortable at your workplace. Visit Fair Work Ombudsman to find out more about your rights at work.

Working after you finish your degree

Visit the Department of Home Affairs to find out more about post-study work visas.

Students requiring a visa extension must submit an application to the Department of Home Affairs. You may need to apply for CoE Extension in order to obtain a new electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from CDU.

Please note that DHA gives priority to visa applications lodged online. Please visit the Department of Home Affairs - Studying in Australia.

As your student visa conditions specify, you must remain enrolled in a registered course (unless you are a secondary exchange student in which case you must maintain full-time enrolment in your course of study or training).

Note: A registered course is one that is on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

You must maintain enrolment in a registered course that is the same level as, or at a higher level than, the registered course for which you were granted a visa. See the Department of Home Affairs - Your study situation has changed.

You must maintain satisfactory attendance in your course and course progress for each study period as required by your education provider.

The Department of Home Affairs requires that dependent children between the ages of six and eighteen attend school on a full-time basis as a condition of the dependent visa.

Each State and Territory has different requirements for school-aged dependants and information about this can be accessed on each Government Education website.

• For information on schooling in the Northern Territory, please visit the Northern Territory Government website.
• For information on schools in New South Wales, please visit the NSW Department of Education website.
• For information on schooling in Victoria, please visit the Victoria Education and Training website.
• For information on schooling in Queensland, please visit the Education Queensland International website.
• For information on schooling in Western Australia, please visit the TAFE International website.

When you enter Australia on a student visa before your 18th birthday, you must have appropriate accommodation, support and welfare arrangements in place as required by the Department of Home Affairs. CDU does not offer welfare arrangements and therefore will not be issuing a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter.

Stay in Australia with a nominated guardian

If you’re an international student under 18, and plan to live with your parent, person who has legal custodian or an eligible relative while studying in Australia, you will need to verify this before applying for a student visa. This person must have appropriate visa or have applied for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) and must:

• be an eligible relative as a a spouse, de facto partner, child, brother, sister, step-child, step-parent, step-brother, step-sister, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, step-grandparent, step-grandchild, step-aunt, step-uncle, step-niece, or step-nephew  of  the applicant; and
• be nominated by a parent of the applicant or a person who has custody of the applicant; and
• be at least 21 years of age and have good character

Please visit the Department of Home Affairs website for further information on welfare arrangements for international students under 18.

Your first point of contact

Once you arrive in Australia, your first point of contact is the International Student Support Officer. Please contact them via email: iss@cdu.edu.au

Please note that if you’re in immediate or imminent danger on campus, please contact CDU Security on 1800 646 501 or call NT Police on 000.

Sexual assault & harassment

Charles Darwin University is committed to providing a safe and respectful learning, working and living environment. Sexual assault and harassment are unacceptable.

The Respect. Now. Always. Campaign, led by the Australian Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia, seeks to prevent sexual assault and harassment by raising awareness, supporting students requiring assistance and giving bystanders the confidence to speak up.

National Support Line

CDU has joined with other Australian universities to fund a 24/7 National Support Line to operate until 30 November to ensure that student victims and survivors of sexual assault can access round-the-clock specialist support.

The support line complements the phone and face-to-face counselling services that already operate at CDU. The National Support Line number is 1800 572 224.

CDU offers a range of services and support to students and staff to get help or make a report.

The laws in Australia for under 18 years of age

People who are under 18 in Australia are NOT allowed to:

• drink alcohol or smoke
• entry in to a licensed premises (for example: bars, nightclubs or casinos)
• gamble

Refer to the Department of Home Affairs for further information.