Genuine Student (GS) Requirement: How Home Affairs Assesses Your Student Visa
Last updated: 6 October 2026
Every Student visa applicant must show they are a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student. This is the Genuine Student (GS) requirement.
It applies to Student (subclass 500) and Student Guardian (subclass 590) applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024. It replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement.
Home Affairs decision-makers assess GS using Ministerial Direction 106.
Key takeaways You answer the GS questions inside the online application form, in English, with a limit of 150 words per answer. Home Affairs gives more weight to statements backed by evidence. Wanting to apply for permanent residence later does not count against you under GS. Decision-makers look at your circumstances as a whole. Direction 106 tells them not to use its factors as a checklist. Previous student visa holders, and applicants on a 485, 600, 601 or 651 visa, get closer scrutiny.
What is the Genuine Student requirement?
Under the GS requirement, you must:
be a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student
show you understand that studying in Australia is the main reason for your Student visa
Home Affairs states that genuine students may develop skills Australia needs and may later apply for permanent residence. Future intentions like this do not count against you under GS.
GS vs GTE: what changed?
Genuine Student (GS) | Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) | |
Applies to | Applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024 | Applications lodged before 23 March 2024 |
Ministerial Direction | Direction 108, which replaced Direction 69 | |
Main question | Is study your genuine main purpose? | Do you genuinely intend to stay in Australia temporarily? |
The biggest practical change: under GS, Home Affairs states that future plans to apply for permanent residence do not count against you.
If you lodged before 23 March 2024 and your application is still undecided, Home Affairs assesses it under GTE.
Who has to meet the GS requirement?
Every Student visa applicant. You must meet the GS criterion to be granted the visa.
Family members in your application. They must meet the GS dependent criterion. Decision-makers assess it using the same factors.
Applicants under 18. Decision-makers consider whether the parent, legal guardian or spouse intends that the applicant's main purpose in Australia is to study.
Family member rules for new Student visa applications changed on 2 October 2026. See new Student visa rules in Australia before you include anyone in your application.
The GS questions in the application form
The online Student visa form asks you to:
Give details of your current circumstances, including ties to family, community, employment and your economic situation.
Explain why you want to study this course in Australia with this education provider, and show you understand the course requirements and life in Australia.
Explain how completing the course will benefit you.
Give any other information you want Home Affairs to consider.
There is an extra question if you have held a Student visa before, or if you are applying in Australia while holding a different visa.
Rules for your answers:
150 words maximum per answer
English only
Answer in the form. Home Affairs prefers this to a separate GS statement.
Attach supporting documents in ImmiAccount
How Home Affairs assesses GS under Ministerial Direction 106
Direction 106 groups the matters a decision-maker considers into four areas.
Area | What the decision-maker considers |
Your circumstances at home | Why you are not studying a similar course in your home country or region, your ties to family, community and work, your economic situation, military service commitments, and political or civil unrest |
Your potential situation in Australia | How much you know about the course, the provider and living in Australia, and how much research you have done into your study and living arrangements |
Value of the course to your future | Whether the course fits your current education level and past or future employment, and the salary and benefits you can expect from the qualification |
Immigration history | Your visa and travel history for Australia and other countries, previous applications, refusals and cancellations, and your compliance with visa conditions |
Direction 106 also lets decision-makers consider any other relevant matter. Examples include:
enrolling in course loads that would make completion unlikely
whether a relationship between the main and secondary applicants exists mainly to get a visa
whether the visa is being used to keep living in Australia rather than to study
Direction 106 tells decision-makers not to use these factors as a checklist. They must weigh your circumstances as a whole.
Who gets closer scrutiny?
Previous Student visa holders
If you have studied in Australia before, decision-makers look at whether you were reasonably engaged in your course. This includes:
whether you completed courses you started
whether your courses follow a logical progression
study gaps of concern
a pattern of changing or deferring courses
Home Affairs asks you to explain study gaps of more than 2 months during an academic year, and any change of course or provider.
Applicants on another temporary visa
Direction 106 calls for closer scrutiny of applicants who hold a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485), Visitor (subclass 600), Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651) visa.
Since 2 October 2026, holders of these and other listed visas must also apply for a Student visa from outside Australia. See new Student visa rules in Australia.
What evidence should you include?
Home Affairs encourages you to provide:
Previous study: academic transcripts, the names of your education providers, the length of study, and certificates
Previous study in Australia: your full study history, reasons for any course or provider change, course progress, and an explanation of study gaps of more than 2 months in an academic year
Current employment: your employer and its address, how long you have worked there, your position, and a contact who can confirm your employment
Ties to your home country: family, community and employment ties, and why you are not studying a similar course available there
Economic circumstances: evidence of employment or business activity for the 12 months before you apply, any job offer for after your course including salary and benefits, and tax returns or bank statements
Unrest or military service: if political or civil unrest or military service could give you a reason to leave your home country, explain it and give evidence
How to write strong GS answers
Answer the question asked. Each of the four questions covers a different area. Do not repeat the same paragraph.
Be specific to you. Name the course, the provider and the reasons that apply to your situation. Generic or copied answers do not show your own circumstances.
Back every claim with a document. Home Affairs gives more weight to statements supported by evidence.
Explain your course choice. Show how the course connects to your past study or work and to the job you want after it.
Explain any gaps or changes. If you changed course, took a break or had a refusal, address it directly.
Keep it consistent. Your answers must match your documents, your Confirmation of Enrolment and any previous applications.
Check your provider before you apply. See how to check if an Australian college is genuine.
What happens if your visa is refused on GS grounds?
If you have review rights, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. See student visa refusal: ART review on the papers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Genuine Student requirement?
The Genuine Student (GS) requirement means every Student visa applicant must be a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student, and must understand that study is the main reason for the visa. It applies to applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024.
Did the GS requirement replace GTE?
Yes. GS applies to Student and Student Guardian visa applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024. Home Affairs still assesses applications lodged before that date under the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement.
Which Ministerial Direction applies to the Genuine Student requirement?
Ministerial Direction 106 guides how decision-makers assess GS. It has applied since 23 March 2024. Direction 108 covers the older GTE criterion.
Can I say I want permanent residence in my GS answers?
Yes. Home Affairs states that genuine students may later choose to apply for permanent residence, and that future intentions like this do not count against you under GS. Study must still be your main reason for the Student visa.
What is the word limit for GS answers?
Each GS answer in the online application form has a limit of 150 words. All answers must be in English.
Do I need a separate GS statement?
No. Home Affairs prefers that you answer the GS questions in the application form rather than attaching a separate statement. You should still attach documents that support your answers.
Do my family members need to meet the GS requirement?
Family members in your application must meet the GS dependent criterion, which decision-makers assess using the same factors. Family member rules for new Student visa applications changed on 2 October 2026.
What documents support a GS application?
Useful documents include academic transcripts, employment evidence, proof of ties to your home country, tax returns or bank statements, and any job offer for after your course. Home Affairs gives more weight to claims backed by evidence.
Want your GS answers reviewed before you lodge? Our Registered Migration Agents (MARN 1572961, MARN 1172003) and education consultants can check your course choice, your answers and your evidence. Book a consultation.
This information is general and does not constitute migration advice. Always check the Home Affairs Genuine Student requirement page before you apply.
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