Whether you’re thinking of studying in Australia or you’re well into your student visa application, you’ll need to become familiar with the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement, what it means and how to write one.
What is Australia’s GTE requirement?
The GTE statement is a required component of your student visa, and it confirms that you will be studying in Australia on a temporary basis (in other words, that you’re a genuine temporary entrant!). Even if you commence your studies online next semester, you’ll still need to apply for a student visa so you can enter Australia once borders reopen.
The purpose of the GTE statement is two-fold:
- To ensure applicants will not attempt to stay in Australia beyond the length of their visa.
- To verify that applicants are truly pursuing a quality education and are not entering Australia under this visa with any intentions other than to study.
It’s worth noting, though, that the GTE statement doesn’t prevent you from staying in Australia after you complete your studies, should you wish to extend your studies or be eligible for a post-study work visa. It simply relates to your studies and your studies only.
So, now that you know what the GTE statement is, you may still be wondering: how do I write a great one? Here are some tips to do exactly that.
Be concise
Although you want to make sure you provide a comprehensive statement, it doesn’t need to be very long – two to three paragraphs should suffice. In those paragraphs, you need to concisely explain your circumstances, your motivation for studying in Australia, and why you will certainly be returning to your home country. There is no need to go into extreme detail when describing this information; one to two sentences for each circumstance you list should be enough.
Mention your ties to home
Again, one of the main purposes of the GTE statement is to assure the Australian Government that you intend to return home. One way to prove that is to explain your ties to your home country, whether they are personal, financial, or professional. For instance, examples of personal ties would include your family members, your friends, and/or your significant other who reside in your country of origin and whom you intend to return to.
You may also have a job waiting for you or a new contract set to begin when you return home after studying in Australia. Such a situation would constitute professional ties and you can mention these in your GTE statement.
These are some of the many criteria the Australian Government uses to assess the validity of applicants’ GTE statements.
Explain the value of the course
The GTE statement is a prime opportunity for applicants to explain why they chose to study in Australia and specifically why they chose to pursue their selected courses. In this section, it is advisable to describe how the course relates to your field of study, your desired professional field, and how this period of study in Australia will add value to your future endeavours. Doing this will clarify your motivation to the Australian Government and prove that your intent to study in Australia is genuine.
Consider a translator and/or editor
If you don’t feel comfortable writing your GTE statement in English, there’s no need to worry – you can write it in the language of your choice and submit a translated version with your application. That said, you want to ensure that the final version of your GTE statement is grammatically correct and easy to understand, so you may want to consider having the text translated by a professional translator.
Alternatively, if you do opt to translate the text yourself, consider asking someone to review and edit the document before you submit it. It’s important that the GTE statement accurately represents your circumstances; having an impartial person review the text will help highlight any missing information and ensure it is understandable.
Provide documentation
Since the GTE statement is meant to prove how genuine you are in your claims, providing documented evidence is always a good idea. If you are claiming in your statement that you’ll be returning to your home country to finish your undergraduate degree, prove it: upload a copy of your unofficial transcript that shows how many course credits you need to complete in order to finish your studies back home.
Do you want to prove that you will genuinely be studying at an Australian university for the duration of your stay? Include a copy of your letter of offer from that university. Again, this text is meant to prove that your claims are authentic, so providing proof is an excellent method to confirm they are.
