School fees for temporary residents in New South Wales

Hi there,

Currently on a 457 visa in NSW you have to pay public school tuition fees; it's not cheap I'm afraid! In NSW you pay $4,500 per year per child for Primary (Years K-6) and Secondary (Years 7-10), and you pay $5,500 per year per child for the final years of Secondary (Years 11 and 12).  Here's a link to the information you need: http://www.detinternational.nsw.edu.au/schools/downloads/trp_feespayment.pdf

As well as the annual tuition fees I believe there are a few additional administration charges that you pay to the government and each school will have their own levies which will be a few hundres dollars per term. You'll also need to cover school uniform and stationery.

Because Government Public Schools are costly for 457 visa holders, parents often  consider private education, particularly in Sydney. Systemic Catholic schools come under the 'private' school umbrella and the cost is likely to be less than paying Government Public School fees. Systemic Catholic Schools are around $2,000 per year plus a $1,500 education fee for temporary residents - this temporary resident fee is payable per family not per child which is why it often works out cheaper for temporary residents to send their children to Catholic school.

By the way, NSW is one of the only states that enforces the public school fees for 457 visa holders.

Good luck with your plans.

Sarah (Mum @ Mum's gone 2 Aus)
Mum's gone 2 Aus provides essential information, advice and support for your family relocation to Australia.

I am under 457 visa, enroled my son in a catholic systemic school( much cheaper than public and per term pay). I will apply for PR under ENS-186 visa soon and school told me I will have to pay the 4.5k government fee as well, until PR is granted. For the entire PR processing time, I wil stay under 457 visa thereore I do not understand why I have to pay an additional fee under the same 457 visa, not a bridging visa. It is impossible to find this information on interenet. My migration agent has no idea either why my status is changing. Can you please advise?

I am inquiring as to what is the Year 12 school certificate fee for an Australian resident in the public school system? Also, is there an enrolement fee for personal elective?

If I'm going to the University of Sydney as a visiting scholar on a Training and Research visa (Subclass 402) and I want to send my kids to public schools, can I do so for free, or is their a fee I have to pay?

Hey there,

I think this excerpt from the Expat Arrivals Education and Schools in Australia page is pretty relevant:

State schools are open and accessible to expats; but those living in Oz with a temporary residency visa (subclass 457) will need to pay the fixed tuition fee associated with their state or territory; only some states enforce this. Those living in Australia with a permanent residency visa can send their children to school for free; though, "voluntary contributions" are still expected from all students - local and foreign.

So my advice would be to check out the rules particular to your state (although if you'll have permanent residency it shouldn't be a problem).

What kind of research and training will you be doing while in Australia? Sounds interesting!

Meagan