Australia or Canada: Comparing Visa Approval Odds and Post-Study Work for Vietnamese Students

How each country screens your intent

Australia replaced its Genuine Temporary Entrant test with the Genuine Student (GS) requirement for applications lodged from 23 March 2024. Instead of a free-form 300-word statement, you answer a set list of questions about why you chose your course and provider, your study and career plans, and your circumstances in Vietnam. A case officer weighs your answers alongside your financial evidence and academic record.

Canada does not run an equivalent single test, but it adds structural limits ahead of your assessment. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, a 10% reduction from 2024 levels. Most study permit applicants also need a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL) from the province where they plan to study, confirming their application sits inside that province's allocation, before IRCC processes the permit.

What each country asks you to prove financially

Australia sets its financial capacity threshold at AUD $29,710 a year for the main applicant, effective from 10 May 2024, on top of tuition and travel. Canada raised its cost-of-living requirement for a single study permit applicant to CAD $20,635 from 1 January 2024, up from the CAD $10,000 figure it used since 2000. Confirm the exact current figure for each country before you apply, since both governments adjust these numbers periodically.

Approval odds in practice

Neither country publishes a country-by-country approval rate to plan around, and any percentage quoted online for Vietnamese applicants specifically is not something either government confirms officially. What you control is documentation quality. For Australia, that means a clear GS answer set tied to a genuine study and career reason, consistent financial evidence, and a provider with a strong compliance record. For Canada, that means a valid PAL where required, an acceptance letter from a Designated Learning Institution, and proof of funds matching the cost-of-living figure IRCC sets for your province.

Post-study work: 485 visa versus PGWP

Australia's subclass 485 visa, Post-Higher Education Work stream, gives 2 years after a bachelor's degree, 3 years after a master's, and 4 years after a doctorate. From 1 July 2024, you need to be under 35 when you apply, and this stream sits separately from the vocational-graduate pathway, which Home Affairs renamed the Post-Vocational Education Work stream.

Canada's Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) length still follows your program length, up to a maximum of 3 years for programs of 2 years or longer. From 1 November 2024, graduates of non-degree programs, college diplomas and similar, outside a university bachelor's, master's, or PhD, also need their field of study to match an occupation list tied to long-term labour shortages to qualify at all. Hold a university degree and this field-of-study gate does not apply to you. Education was added to the eligible field list on 17 December 2024, alongside earlier additions for healthcare and trades.

A step Vietnamese applicants often miss: the CAQ for Quebec

Planning to study in Quebec specifically adds a step neither Ontario nor British Columbia require. Before your federal study permit application, you apply for a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ) from the provincial government, a document separate from the PAL system that applies province-wide. Factor this into your timeline if a Quebec institution sits on your shortlist, since it adds a processing step on top of the federal permit and the PAL itself.

Building in time for both systems

Neither Australia's GS assessment nor Canada's PAL and permit cap process moves as fast as the older systems they replaced. Lodge your Australian application once your CoE and financial evidence are ready, since GS answers get scrutinized more closely than the old GTE statement ever was. For Canada, request your PAL from your chosen province the moment you hold a letter of acceptance, since IRCC does not process your study permit application without it attached.

Choosing between the two

Set on a university bachelor's or master's and want your post-study work length locked to your degree level regardless of subject, Australia's structure is easier to plan around. Considering a college diploma in Canada, check the field-of-study list for your intended program before you enrol, since a PGWP-ineligible diploma leaves you without post-study work rights entirely. Whichever country you choose, apply for your PAL or lodge your GS answers as early as your intake allows, since both systems now move slower than before these 2024 changes. Weigh the cost of applying twice against the cost of choosing wrong: a second application after a refusal costs more in fees and lost time than the extra weeks spent getting your first one right.