- Before leaving home
- Bringing family
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
- What to bring
- Upon arrival in Australia
- Getting to our Brisbane campus
- Getting to our Perth campus
Students will need to make their own travel arrangements to Australia. Please try to arrive at least 1-2 weeks before the start of Student Orientation to allow enough time for settling-in, adjusting to the climate and overcoming jet-lag.
Once you know your travel details you should advise SIA.
Before leaving home
Things to do:
- Apply for passport
- Arrange student visa
- Make contact with SIA
- Complete required SIA forms
- Make payments to SIA
- Arrange for immunisations and medications from doctor
- Apply for a credit card and/or arrange sufficient funds
- Confirm overseas access to your funds with your bank
- Make travel arrangements
- Arrange travel insurance / OSHC
- Advise SIA of travel details
- Arrange accommodation
- Arrange transport from airport to accommodation
- Pack bags being sure to include the following:
- Name and contact details of a SIA representative
- Enough currency for taxis, buses, phone calls etc in the event of an emergency
- Important documents:
- This handbook
- Passport
- Letter of Offer
- Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE)
- Certified copies of qualifications & certificates
- Travel insurance policy
- ID cards, drivers licence, birth certificate (or copy)
- Receipts of payments made to SIA
- Medical records and / or prescriptions
If you are travelling with your family, you will need to include their documents as well.
Keep all documents in your carry-on luggage. In case you lose the originals, make copies that can be left behind with family and sent to you.
Top
Bringing family
Most student visas allow you to bring your family members to Australia as your dependents (check your individual circumstances). Family members include your spouse, and you and your spouse’s dependent children. Before bringing your spouse or children to Australia, you will have to prove that you can support them financially. The cost of supporting a family in Australia is high. You may have to consider and discuss many issues with your family.
| DHA | Bringing your family to Australia |
Issues to Consider
Rather than bringing your family together with you to Australia, some students may find it useful to arrive first, settle into studies, find appropriate accommodation, adjust to living in Australia and then arrange for their family to join them.
Before making a decision to bring your family to Australia it is important to consider the following issues:
- The cost of airfares for your family to and from Australia;
- Possible higher rent for a larger home;
- Limited employment opportunities for your spouse;
- Extra costs for food, clothing and other necessities;
- The effect on you and your studies if your family is not happy in Australia;
- Whether your children will adjust to school in Australia;
- Waiting lists for child care centres; and
- Whether to come alone to Australia first and arrange things for your family or to all come at the same time.
For more information visit the DHA
| DHA | Life in Australia |
Child Care
Finding suitable childcare in Australia requires patience and planning. Waiting lists for places in most childcare centres are long.
Many schools offer before- and after-school care programs (usually 7:30am-8:45am and 3:30pm-6:00pm). Children who need these programs must be registered with the school.
Schools
If you would like to bring your children to Australia with you, you must be aware of the following schooling issues:
- It is an immigration policy that school-age dependants of international students undertake formal schooling while they are in Australia. The cost of schooling will vary from school to school so you need to contact the school directly for their prices.
- You will need to provisionally enrol your child in a school before you leave your home country and you will normally have to pay the school fees one semester in advance. The school will issue an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment Form (eCoE) stating the program and its duration, so that you can obtain the appropriate visa for your child.
- The Diplomatic Mission in your country can tell you which State schools are registered to take international students. Fees are usually payable by international students at all State schools.
- You will be responsible for school fees and other costs including school uniforms, books, excursions and stationery.
- When choosing the most appropriate school for your child, it is best to ask questions about the school’s curriculum, size, extra-curricular activities and the size of individual classes.
- You should also take into consideration the distance from the school to your education institution, the suburb in which you intend to live and the method of transport you plan to use.
Schools in Brisbane
There are two types of schools in Australia – State schools and independent schools.
| QLD schools | Schools in QLD |
| Australian schools directory | Schools in Australia |
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Overseas student health cover (OSHC) is insurance that provides cover for the costs of medical and hospital care which international students may need while in Australia and is mandatory for international student visa holders for the duration of your studies. OSHC will also cover the cost of emergency ambulance transport and most prescription drugs.
How do I get OSHC?
When applying for your student visa you will be asked to provide evidence of having OSHC for the entire duration of your stay in Australia. You cannot arrive until you have OSHC organised and evidence of the same. If you do not buy your OSHC through SIA you must provide evidence of your insurance no later than at Orientation.
Students can also purchase their OSHC through their Education Agent or contact us directly, however evidence will be required during enrolment that students have sufficient cover.
Only Australian health funds that have signed an agreement with the Australian Government can provide OSHC. Most Australian education institutions have a preferred OSHC provider. Depending on the institution you will be attending you will be required to join one of these four registered health funds. You may choose to change your health fund at any time but will need to abide by the conditions of change of the health fund provider you are leaving.
SIA uses Allianz as our preferred OSHC provider and we can arrange a quote for you for the duration of your studies.
Some students may be exempt from purchasing OSHC such as students from countries whose Governments may have Reciprocal Health Agreements for students in Australia.
Note: only some reciprocal health agreements cover students in Australia, some will only cover visitors. You should determine if you are eligible before you apply for your visa to come to Australia.
| Allianz | Allianz OSHC |
| Department of Education | OSHC info |
What to bring
Australian Customs Services and quarantine are quite strict. If you’re in doubt about whether your goods are prohibited or not, declare it anyway on the Incoming Passenger Card which you will receive on the plane. Students have received on the spot fines for not declaring items.
| Visiting Australia | DHA – visitor info |
| What you can bring | Dept of Agriculture |
| What you can’t bring | Please read this carefully! |
Upon Arrival in Australia:
- Call home
- Settle into accommodation
- Contact SIA
- Purchase household items and food
- Enrol children in school (if applicable)
- Attend international student orientation at SIA (compulsory)
- Advise SIA of your address, phone and email
- Get student ID card
- Advise health insurance company of address & get card
- Open a bank account
- Attend faculty/course specific orientation sessions
- Get textbooks
- Start classes
- Apply for tax file number (if seeking work)
- Get involved in student life and associations (eg music, sporting and cultural clubs)
- Keep copies of all payments you make to SIA
- Keep a copy of your Letter of Offer which contains your student Contract
Brisbane campus
You should fly into Brisbane International Airport.
| Brisbane airport | BNE |
The Brisbane campus is located approximately 20kms from Brisbane International Airport, about a 20-minute drive.
If students have arranged for their pick-up services prior to their arrival at the Brisbane International Airport, you will be met at the airport by an institute representative or pick up service. This will be an additional cost.
There is also a taxi rank outside the airport should the student wish to travel by taxi.
Brisbane also has an Airtrain service from the airport to the city.
| Airtrain | Brisbane airport to the city |
Perth campus
You should fly into Perth.
| Perth airport | PER |
Here is the location and transport information for our Perth campus.