International Students- Visas
If you are studying an SMTC AMI Diploma and you are not an Australian citizen or resident or New Zealand citizen, you are required to obtain and maintain a valid and appropriate Australian visa for the duration of each of your in-person course blocks.
As in-person components of SMTC’s AMI Montessori Diploma courses are conducted in short blocks of 2-9 weeks (under 90 days), many students seek a short-term visitor visa (either in a tourist or business category) to enable them to enter and stay in Australia for a block.
ALLOW TIME TO OBTAIN YOUR SHORT-TERM VISA
Most short-term visas can be applied for within 6 months of the time you wish to enter Australia. Many categories are processed quickly however some categories of short-term visa do take months to obtain. We therefore encourage student’s to apply early to avoid disappointment and delay.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
If you are based overseas, as part of your SMTC course application process we may have discussions with you about your eligibility to obtain a visa to stay in Australia for the in-person blocks of a course and ask for supporting documentation.
However, it is solely your responsibility to obtain and maintain a valid and appropriate Australian visa which entitles you to participate in the course and you must always comply with any visa conditions.
SMTC NOT REGISTERED FOR CRICOS
SMTC is not currently registered with CRICOS which means we are unable to sponsor students or provide a study visa to students wishing to remain in Australia for more than 3 months. Some student’s may be eligible in their own right for certain long term visas.
However, in general, we find that many SMTC students only need a short-term visitor visa to enter and stay in Australia for a course block. SMTC can provide a letter confirming the course details and the student’s enrolment if this is needed for your visa application.
MORE INFORMATION
If you are interested in studying with SMTC, as background information, we would be pleased to arrange a call with you to discuss some of the visa experiences we have previously seen. Please reach out to us via [email protected] to arrange a discussion.
Further information about visa options for Australia can also be found on the Australia Government, Department of Foreign Affairs website.
Please be aware that any comments SMTC makes about our experiences with visas is general information only. SMTC is not a migration agent and cannot offer immigration advice. As we do not know all of your personal circumstances, you must make your own decisions and, if appropriate, you may need to seek you own professional advice.