Information for student visa holders

Compassionate or compelling circumstances are generally beyond your control and impact your course progress or well-being. This may include, but not limited to:

• Serious illness or injury, where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes.
• Trauma or bereavement of close family members.
• If UWA is unable to offer required units of study due to the structure of your course.
• Major political upheaval or natural disaster in the home country requiring emergency travel and this has impacted on the overseas student’s studies.
• If you are currently on an intervention strategy that includes a recommendation to reduce your study load.

Examples of situations that are not considered as grounds are:

• Work commitments.
• Travelling overseas.
• Minor medical illness or condition.
• Financial hardship.
• Family obligations, such as a wedding of a relative or friend

Note: Receiving advanced standing/credit for previous study is not a valid reason in itself for reducing your study load. The only time this is permitted is if it is your final semester of study.

If you are not approved to reduce your study load, you will need to enrol full-time as normal.

To apply for Special Approval:

• Submit the completed online special approval form request to your Student Advising Office.
• Attach all supporting documents so your request can be assessed. Requests without evidence of compassionate or compelling circumstances will not be approved.
• Your Student Advising Office will respond to your request to let you know if it has been approved, if they want to meet with you or if they need further documents to enable them to assess your request.

Please ensure all supporting documents are included with your Special Approval request for assessment. Requests without evidence of compassionate and compelling circumstances will not be approved.

Examples of appropriate supporting documents include:

• A detailed current medical statement from a medical specialist outlining the impact of your illness/injury on your study, including the expected duration of this impact.
• A detailed statement issued and signed by a psychologist or counsellor outlining how the circumstances have impacted your studies, including the expected duration of this impact.
• Any relevant documents such as doctor’s certificates, statutory declarations, or police reports which shows compelling circumstances that have resulted in you missing two weeks of study or more. 

Supporting documents are not required if:

• Have an approved intervention strategy in place that requires you to underload.
• UWA is unable to offer the required units of study due to the structure of your course.
• You are in your final semester of study and have less than four units left to complete your course requirements by the end of this semester.

If you believe you have compassionate and compelling grounds to reduce your study load/underload, you must seek approval from the Graduate Research School (GRS). Please contact the Graduate Research School via askUWA or +61 8 6488 2807.

If you are a Student Exchange and Study Abroad student, please contact the UWA Global Learning Office via askUWA or +61 8 6488 8199.

• If a reduced study load or underloading has been refused, you have the option to internally appeal the outcome within 20 University working days.
• If you choose to appeal the refusal, assessment and notification of the appeal outcome will be completed within 10 University working days.
• If you are not successful with the internal appeal, you have the right to access an external complaints and appeal process.
• The purpose of the external complaints and appeals process is to consider whether the University has followed its policies and procedures, rather than make a decision in place of the University.

UWA is only allowed to extend a student visa holder’s course and CoE if:

• We have assessed that there are ‘compassionate or compelling’ circumstances (see below) and there is evidence to support this assessment.
• An intervention strategy has been implemented, or is in the process of being implemented, for the overseas student who is at risk of not meeting course progress requirements, or
• An approved deferral or suspension of the overseas student’s enrolment has occurred.

Compassionate or compelling circumstances are generally beyond your control and impact your course progress or well-being. This may include, but not limited to:

• Serious illness or injury, where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes.
• Bereavement of close family members such as parents or grandparents (where possible a death certificate should be provided).
• Major political upheaval or natural disaster in the home country requiring emergency travel and this has impacted on the overseas student’s studies.
• A traumatic experience, which could include involvement in or witnessing of a serious accident, or witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime, and this has impacted on the overseas student (these cases should be supported by police or psychologists’ reports).
• Where the registered provider was unable to offer a prerequisite unit, or the overseas student has failed a prerequisite unit and therefore faces a shortage of relevant units for which they are eligible to enrol

If your course and CoE are extended, and your student visa will expire before you complete your course, you’ll need to apply for a new visa to complete your study via the Department of Home Affairs. Submit your new CoE as part of your visa application, and make sure you have also extended your OSHC.

Complete the Course and CoE Extension Application form digitally in the editable PDF and submit it to your Student Advising Office no more than eight weeks before your current CoE expiry date.

1. Submit your completed application form to your Student Advising Office via askUWA. Attach a copy of your current visa notice from your ImmiAccount.
2. You’ll receive confirmation when your application has been received and whether or not any further information is needed.
3. If approved, you’ll receive a new offer letter from Admissions via your UWA student email address. The next release of results may impact your new offer, so you may not receive your offer until closer to the start of the next semester. As long as your visa is still valid, this is not a problem.
4. To accept your new offer, sign and return the documents to Admissions. You’ll then receive a new CoE via your UWA student email address.
5. If you also need a new visa, first extend your OSHC with your chosen provider and submit the Certificate of Insurance from your online account.
6. Use your new CoE and OSHC extension details to apply for a visa extension online through your ImmiAccount by logging in or creating an account. For more information on ImmiAccounts, visit the Department of Home Affairs.
7. If you’re applying overseas, carry your CoE in your hand luggage (with your passport) in the event that you are questioned by Immigration at an airport.

If you are only applying for a CoE extension but your student visa is still valid for the new duration of your studies, you don't need to give your new CoE to the Department of Home Affairs. You only need to provide it if you are also applying for a visa extension.

Note: A CoE extension cannot be processed if you have outstanding fees or other encumbrances on your student record.

If you finish your course in an earlier teaching period than the one in which your CoE expires, your early course completion is reported to Immigration and your CoE cancelled, which may have implications on your visa. Contact the Department of Home Affairs if you have any questions.

If your student visa status has changed in any way, for example, you may now be on a bridging visa or receive permanent residency, let us know as soon as possible, so we can update your details and provide you with any new information you need. Email a copy of your visa grant notice to the Compliance team via askUWA.

If your citizenship has also changed, send through a copy of your citizenship certificate or passport. A change in citizenship may mean you are entitled to pay tuition fees at the domestic fee rate, so let us know as soon as possible.

If you finish your course in an earlier teaching period than the one in which your CoE expires, your early course completion is reported to Immigration and your CoE cancelled, which may have implications on your visa. Contact the Department of Home Affairs if you have any questions.

If your student visa status has changed in any way, for example, you may now be on a bridging visa or receive permanent residency, let us know as soon as possible, so we can update your details and provide you with any new information you need. Email a copy of your visa grant notice to the Compliance team via askUWA.

If your citizenship has also changed, send through a copy of your citizenship certificate or passport. A change in citizenship may mean you are entitled to pay tuition fees at the domestic fee rate, so let us know as soon as possible.

If you apply for advanced standing/credit after your visa has been issued and this affects your course duration, UWA will cancel your current CoE and will re-issue you with a new CoE that covers the shorter duration of your studies. This is reported to Immigration, which may affect the duration of your visa. Contact the Department of Home Affairs if you have any questions.

In applying for and accepting any credit, you should be aware that the credit may:

• Reduce your course duration.
• Reduce your total course fees.
• Affect your eligibility for future visas.

Applications:
Submit your completed application for advanced standing to your Student Advising Office via askUWA. Once assessed, your Student Office will email you to let you know the outcome. If you’re offered advanced standing, you’ll need to confirm in writing your acceptance of it. If it affects your
course duration, you’ll be issued with a new CoE. You do not need to provide this CoE to Immigration unless you are applying for a new student visa.

If your student visa status has changed in any way, for example, you may now be on a bridging visa

• If a Course and CoE extension application has been refused, you have the option to internally appeal the outcome within 20 University working days.
• If you choose to appeal the refusal, assessment and notification of the appeal outcome will be completed within 10 University working days.
• If you are not successful with the internal appeal, you have the right to access an external complaints and appeal process.
• The purpose of the external complaints and appeals process is to consider whether the University has followed its policies and procedures, rather than make a decision in place of the University.