Can my child attend school if I come to Western Australia on a Student visa? 

The short answers is yes. 
In Western Australia, students (including children of student visa holders) on a visa subclass 500 or visa subclass 571  can apply to study at a public school from Year 1 to Year 12. The level where they are going to be place to is to be determined based on the age of the child. 

What do year 1 and year 12 mean? 

The school system in Australia classifies the level of teaching and learning in YEARS

Normally Year 1 is the primary school for 6 years old children and Year 12 the last year of secondary school. 

 

|How does the school system work in Western Australia ?

In Western Australia, primary schools start  from Kindergarten to Year 6

Kindergarten, also know as kindy, it is for children turning four years old by 30 June of the year in which they would start. This is not compulsory. Many parents just send children to prepare them to the actual school the year after. 

After Kindy, there is Pre-primary that is for children turning five years old by 30 June of the year they would start Pre-primary

After Pre- primary there is is YEAR 1, for children turning six years old by 30 June of the year they would start Year 1

and so on up until year 6 for children turning 11 years old by 30 June of the year they would start Year 6. 

The secondary school starts on year 7 up until year 12. 

 

So if you are coming to Western Australia on a Student visa, you can enrol your child from year 1 to year 12. 

The minimum enrolment period is 2 full terms. A term lasts approximately 10 weeks. 

 

|Conditions and Requirements

English requirement

If English is not the primary language, the student visa holder can enrol into a intensive English course for up to 12 months, for example at TAFE. 

Living arrangements

The public school in Western Australia does not offer an accommodation to students, therefore the primary school student must live with their parents or guardians for the entire duration of the enrolment. For secondary school students there is the possibility to live with a close family relative (a parent or step-parent, an aunt or an uncle or a grandparent or step-grandparent). Homestay is an option from year 8 and above. 

Health insurance condition

As per student visa condition the student must have a valid health insurance for the duration of their student visa. It is called OSHC: Overseas Student Health Cover. 

 

|Costs

School fees are revised annually. 

The 2022 fees start from around $7,800 for Kindy, up to $21,000 for year 12. 

You can find more details here.

Moreover there are other expenses to consider such us: book fees, school uniforms, stationery, personal items, excursion etc. These are to be paid directly to the school.

 

|Application process for student visa coming to Australia

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎?

The process is

  1. Start selecting 4 schools
  2. Preparing documents including child passport and previous education results and transcripts translated in English
  3. Apply online
  4. The school will issue a Letter Of Offer that will includes payment information as well. 
  5. Return the letter signed and proceed to pay as per instruction 
  6. The school will issue a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) – This document is needed to apply for a student visa. 

It is important you choose at least 4 schools otherwise your application will be denied. You will find the available schools here.

 

 

If you would like to find out your eligibility for a student visa and bring your family along with you ,  book a consultation with one of our agents. Just call us on (08) 6117 4152 or write us at [email protected] or click on this following like to book your appointment https://www.getyourvisa.com.au/book-a-consultation/ . We will assess your circumstances, qualifications and experience to design the best option for you and your future!

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