Can I take holidays on a student visa?

The subject of holidays is something we get asked about time and time again. Whilst studying on a student visa all courses allow scheduled breaks. This is perfect for international students! During the school holidays you have the option to work full time or you can use this time to travel and go overseas. If you’re looking to take a holiday, this is the best time to go! Here at Go Study we can help you schedule your course enrolment allowing you to maximise your holiday periods. We work closely with the schools to map out the best study plans and break options to suit you!

Holidays During Term Time

If you want to go away during term time, you will need to request permission from your college. Each circumstance will be looked at individually. A college is unlikely to grant you permission to go away for reason such as:

• Financial issues
• Relationship problems
• Work related reasons
• Weddings
• Cultural and religious activities
• General holidays

For example, if you have found some cheap flights to Bali and you want to go away for a few weeks, but this falls during term, it is unlikely that your college will allow this. If you were still to go without permission, there’s a chance that your certificate of enrolment would be cancelled and the department of home affairs would be notified, resulting in a cancellation of your student visa.

Exceptional Circumstances

There are circumstances where your college will grant you permission for leave, this would be for medical, compassionate or compelling reasons, such as:

• Serious illness or injury
• Serious illness or loss of a close family member
• Pregnancy or childbirth
• Political upheaval or natural disaster in your home country
• Reasons related to your visa processing being delayed
• Traumatic experiences- for example a student involved in or having witnessed a serious crime or accident

Applying For Leave Of Absence

To request leave of absence, you will need to apply to your college in advance. You will also need to  submit documents to backup your request for leave. This could be in the form of a medical certificate, death certificate, police report and a return flight ticket. It is important that you get permission from your college for leave of absence during term time, as if you were to get stopped at the airport on your return journey, you may need to provide this as evidence to be allowed back into Australia. The department of home affairs reserve the right to cancel your student visa, should you not have sufficient evidence for leave of absence, permission from your college or if your documents are fraudulent. If you need to leave for longer than two weeks you may have to defer your studies and reapply for a visa when you want to return.

Bachelor Degrees

There are many options to accommodate for longer holiday periods, for example Bachelor Degrees and other higher education courses offer extended breaks, allowing students to take a few months off between each semester. Most Bachelor Degrees in Australia give students up to four months off over the Christmas period. This means you have complete freedom at the best time of the year; Summer time. This is the perfect time to go travelling in Australia and see all the sites you’ve been looking forward to with the best weather. If you choose not to go travelling over the holiday period, it gives you the chance to work and save over a longer period of time. Contact us to find out more about this.

Go Study Support

At Go Study, we can help you negotiate with schools to schedule breaks during your course and plan longer breaks between courses. We support students all the time who are going through exceptional circumstances and need help in requesting leave of absence. We are here to help you too! Contact us today for help or more information relating to student holidays, leave of absence or any other enqiries.Please note that the immigration legislation is changing quickly and GO STUDY is not authorised to give immigration assistance. We are working to ensure our blog article content up-to-date to assure you get the right information. If you need more info, feel free to contact GO STUDY Australia via australia@gostudy.com.au so we can put you in contact with a migration agent or visit the Australian Immigration website.