Australia · Student visa · Genuine Student
GS answers for the Australian student visa: what to write in each question
Four questions. 150 words each. These answers can decide your visa. Here is what belongs in each one, the mistakes that cause refusals, and how to use AI without putting your application at risk.
Watch the full breakdown — Abin goes through each GS question, the weak answers he sees most often, and the AI prompt that keeps your facts your own. Prefer to read? Everything is written out below.
Quick answer
- The Genuine Student (GS) requirement replaced the old GTE for applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024.
- There is no separate statement letter any more. You answer questions inside the visa application form.
- Each answer is limited to 150 words and must be in English.
- The officer is checking one thing: are you genuinely coming to study?
- Every line must match your documents — CoE, bank statements, marksheets, income proof.
- Most GS refusals we see are not about marks or money. They are about answers that are vague, copied, or contradicted by the paperwork.
Students spend months on IELTS and bank statements, then write their GS answers in twenty minutes the night before lodging. That is backwards. These four boxes in the application form are where a strong file is won or lost.
This guide goes through each question, what belongs in it, and what to leave out. All of the requirements described here come from the Department of Home Affairs. Links to the official pages are at the bottom.
What this guide covers
- What the GS requirement actually is
- Question 1 — Your current circumstances
- Question 2 — Why this course, this provider, Australia
- Question 3 — How will the course benefit you
- Question 4 — Any other information
- The fifth question some applicants get
- Using AI the right way
- Before you submit: a final check
- Frequently asked questions
What the GS requirement actually is
The Genuine Student requirement means a student visa applicant must be a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student, and must show they understand that studying in Australia is their primary reason for applying. It applies to applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024. Applications lodged before that date were assessed under the previous Genuine Temporary Entrant framework.
The practical change most students miss: there is no separate GTE statement document to upload. You answer the questions directly in the application form, and each answer is capped at 150 words, in English.
Your current circumstances
What to put in
- Who you are — your age and your hometown
- Who lives at home with you, and what they do
- Your education — school, marks, degree, and the year you finished
- Your work experience, if you have any
- Who is funding you and how — salary, savings, fixed deposits, education loan
- Your ties to home — family, property, and what you plan to come back to
How to write it
Facts, not feelings. Use numbers, the actual names of your qualifications, and years. Every amount you mention must match your bank and income documents exactly. If a parent works abroad, say so plainly and explain which income proof covers it — do not leave the officer to guess why there is no Indian ITR.
Says nothing. No facts, no numbers, nothing the officer can check.
Specific, and it points directly at a document the officer will find in the file.
Common mistakes
- Emotional language instead of facts — "I love my family and my country"
- Leaving a study gap unexplained and hoping it is not noticed
- A figure in the answer that does not match the bank statement
Why this course, this provider, and Australia
This is the biggest question, because it is really three questions packed into 150 words. Budget your words before you start writing.
A. Why this course?
- Link it to what you studied before — show the progression
- Name real features: specific subjects, placement hours, a professional registration pathway
B. Why this provider?
- Give specific reasons — campus location, course structure, duration, placement arrangements
- Not ranking. Not "it is famous." Those apply to every applicant and distinguish you from nobody.
C. Why Australia, and not home or another country?
- What does Australia offer that fits your specific plan?
- Answer the comparison honestly — the officer is explicitly weighing your reasons for not studying in your home country
Then show you understand what you are signing up for
Home Affairs expects you to understand the course requirements and what living in Australia involves. Make it visible that you do:
- Attendance and course progress — you know you must maintain both
- Course fees and living costs — the financial capacity figure for a single student applicant is AUD 29,710 for 12 months
- Health cover — Overseas Student Health Cover for your whole stay
- Work limits — student visa work conditions are capped per fortnight while your course is in session. Check the exact condition on your own visa grant notice and on the Home Affairs website, because this figure has changed before.
- Accommodation — where you plan to live, realistically
- Copying the university website. Officers read these answers all day. Marketing language is obvious, and it tells them nothing about you.
- "Australia is beautiful and has a great lifestyle." This is a tourist's answer, not a student's.
- Saying part-time work will pay your fees. The officer wants to see funding already in place. Work is not a funding plan.
How will the course benefit you?
What to put in
- How this course builds on what you have already studied
- One or two specific subjects or skills you will gain — not "I will gain knowledge"
- A realistic career plan: your first role after the course, then the step after that
- Salary evidence for your home country, with the source and the date — job portals, real job advertisements, government data
- The clear before-and-after: what you can do now, versus what you can do with this qualification
Common mistakes
- Making migration or PR the main point — the stated purpose must be study
- Salary numbers with no source and no date
- A career plan that is not credible — "I will be a director within two years"
- Generic benefit language that would fit any course and any applicant
Any other relevant information
Students leave this blank because it looks optional. If you have anything in your file that needs explaining, this is where you explain it — before the officer has to form their own conclusion about it.
- Travel history — countries you have visited
- Any previous visa refusal — always declare it honestly, for any country
- Study or work gaps — say what you were doing during that period
- Funding summary — show the simple arithmetic
- Anything unusual — for example, a parent earning abroad so there is no Indian ITR. Say what proof you attached instead.
- Your timeline — when you finished study, your English test score and its date, and when you applied
Not confident about your GS answers?
Send them to us before you submit. We check them line by line against your documents — including files already started with another agent.
The extra question some applicants get
Home Affairs includes an additional question for applicants who have previously held a student visa, or who are applying from within Australia while holding a visa that is not a student visa.
If this applies to you, treat it as the most important box on the form. The officer is specifically examining whether your study history in Australia makes sense, or whether a student visa is being used for another purpose. Explain your previous course, what you completed, why you are changing direction if you are, and how this new course fits the plan you have described elsewhere.
Using AI the right way
Students ask us constantly whether they can use ChatGPT for their GS answers. The honest answer: AI is a helper, not the writer. The facts have to be yours, and you have to be able to stand behind every sentence.
- Write your facts in bullet points first. Malayalam or English, it does not matter. Your facts, from your documents.
- Ask AI to turn those bullets into 150 words. Nothing more than that.
- Check every number, name and date against your actual documents — CoE, bank statements, marksheets, income proof.
- Check every source yourself. AI can invent salary figures and links that look entirely real. If you cannot open the source and see the number, do not use it.
- Read it aloud. It must sound like you. You may be asked about it later, and you need to be able to speak to every line.
"Here are my facts: [paste your bullet points]. Turn this into a 150-word answer for the Australian Genuine Student question: [paste the question]. Use simple English, first person. Do NOT add any fact, number or claim I have not given."
Before you submit: a final check
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Each answer is within 150 words, in English | It is a hard limit. Anything beyond it is cut off. |
| Every figure matches a document | A mismatch between your answer and your bank statement is the problem, not the amount itself. |
| Every date matches | Course completion, English test date, work dates, application date. |
| Every salary claim has a source and a date | Unsourced numbers read as guesses. |
| No copied text from the provider's website | It is recognisable and it says nothing about you. |
| Previous refusals declared | For any country. Non-disclosure is far more damaging than the refusal itself. |
| Gaps explained | Study gaps and work gaps both. |
| You can speak to every line | If you cannot explain a sentence out loud, remove it. |
| You read the question wording in ImmiAccount | The form wording can change. |
We check GS answers line by line against your documents
Before you submit, send us your draft answers and your document set. We will tell you where the answer and the paperwork disagree, where a claim needs a source, and what is missing. This includes files already started with another agent. Conditions apply, case by case.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Genuine Student (GS) requirement for an Australian student visa?
The Genuine Student requirement means you must be a genuine applicant for entry and stay as a student, and must show you understand that studying in Australia is your primary reason for applying. It applies to student visa applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024. Applications lodged before that date were assessed under the earlier Genuine Temporary Entrant framework.
Do I still need to write a GTE statement for Australia?
No. There is no separate statement letter to upload any more. You answer the Genuine Student questions directly inside the visa application form. Each answer is limited to 150 words and must be written in English.
How many GS questions are there and what is the word limit?
The form asks about your current circumstances, your reasons for choosing this course and this education provider, how completing the course will benefit you, and any other relevant information. There is also an additional question for applicants who have previously held a student visa or who are applying from within Australia on a visa that is not a student visa. Each response is limited to 150 words and must be in English.
What are the most common mistakes in GS answers?
Writing emotionally instead of factually, copying text from the university website, saying part-time work will pay the course fees, quoting salary figures with no source or date, making permanent residency the main purpose rather than study, leaving study gaps unexplained, and giving numbers that do not match the bank statements and other documents in the file.
Can I use ChatGPT or AI to write my GS answers?
Use AI as a helper, not as the writer. Write your own facts in bullet points first, ask AI only to shape them into 150 words, then check every number, name, date and source against your actual documents. AI can invent salary figures and links that look genuine. Read the final answer aloud — it must sound like you, because you may be asked about it later.
Should I mention permanent residency in my GS answer?
The purpose you present must be study. Making migration or permanent residency the main point of your answer works against you, because the requirement is specifically about being a genuine student. Focus on the course, the skills it gives you, and your realistic career plan.
Do I have to declare a previous visa refusal?
Yes. Declare any previous visa refusal honestly, for any country, and use the "any other relevant information" question to explain the circumstances. Home Affairs considers your immigration history as part of the assessment. Non-disclosure is treated far more seriously than the refusal itself.
How much money do I need to show for an Australian student visa?
The financial capacity figure for a single primary applicant is AUD 29,710 for 12 months of living costs, in addition to your course fees and travel costs. Because these figures are set by the Australian Government and can change, always confirm the current amount on the Department of Home Affairs student visa page before preparing your financial documents.
Does Guide to Heights review GS answers before submission?
Yes. Guide to Heights is QEAC certified (#10439) and British Council recognised (#49805), with offices in Kochi, the UAE and Melbourne. We check your GS answers line by line against your documents before you submit, including files that were started with another agent. Message us on WhatsApp at +91 89217 68892. Conditions apply, case by case — we do not guarantee any visa outcome.
Official Department of Home Affairs resources
Use these as your primary reference. Requirements can change at any time.
- Genuine Student requirement — Department of Home Affairs
- Student visa (subclass 500) — Department of Home Affairs
- Direction No. 106 — Assessing the genuine entry and stay requirements (PDF)
- Document Checklist Tool — Department of Home Affairs
- Length of stay for Student visas — Department of Home Affairs
- Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 & 590) — Department of Home Affairs
- ImmiAccount — check the current question wording in your own application
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About the author
Abin Mathew Varghese
Founder & Director, Guide to Heights
Abin studied and worked in Melbourne, completing an MBA and a Master's in IT at Deakin University before returning to Kochi to build Guide to Heights. With over a decade of counselling experience, he reviews GS answers and financial documents personally for students across Kerala and the GCC before their applications are lodged.
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