Australia student visa for ELICOS English courses: 2026 work rights and fees

ELICOS sits on the Student visa (subclass 500) list published by Study Australia and Home Affairs. You need a Confirmation of Enrolment from a CRICOS-registered provider. Visitor permission is the wrong product for a full-time English course that is meant to last months. Lodge through ImmiAccount and treat the Genuine Student requirement as a real test, not a formality.

Condition 8105 limits most subclass 500 students to 48 hours of work a fortnight while the course is in session. Study Australia says you cannot work before the course starts. Scheduled official breaks usually allow unlimited hours; do not invent extra holidays. A fortnight is a Monday-to-Sunday 14-day block. Breaching 8105 can lead to visa cancellation.

Study Australia reported on 3 July 2026 that the standard Student visa application charge rose from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500. Independent ELICOS and some ASEAN and Pacific passport holders stay on a concessional charge with CPI adjustment. Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for your passport and course type. The charge is separate from tuition, OSHC health cover, and flights.

Get a written CoE, the CRICOS course code, start date, and weekly contact hours. Ask whether the ELICOS provider expects you to work, then ignore that advice if it conflicts with condition 8105. Budget Sydney or Melbourne rent without wages, because work is a concession, not a funding plan. Check processing times on Home Affairs for your country, not a blog.

Cape Town undercuts Sydney on a 3–12 month English budget because tuition and homestay are priced in rand. EnglishHubSA's cost guide puts Cape Town living costs, excluding tuition, around USD 700–1,100 a month. South Africa's language-course study visa does not usually include general work rights, so Cape Town wins on price, not on wages. Long-haul flights and neighbourhood safety habits are the other honest trade-offs.