Before you depart

As a student visa holder, you can bring your children under 18 years old to Perth. You must have declared them in your initial visa application.

Any school-aged children of international students must attend a public or private school while residing in Western Australia. School begins in Kindergarten when your child turns 4 years old by 30 June in the year of enrolment – while compulsory schooling starts in Pre-primary and finishes in Year 12.

Your visa class will determine school enrolment conditions, the application process and tuition fees. For more information, please refer to the TAFE International Western Australia website.

For example, Masters or Doctoral degree students holding a 500, 573 and 574 visa are not required to pay mainstream tuition fees for their children/dependants. These will be paid by scholarship or the government. 

On the other hand, children of all other international students on a 500, 570, 572 or 573 Visa must be enrolled as full-fee-paying overseas students for the duration of the visa.

Perth's Primary and Secondary Schools

International students studying in Australia and their dependents (such as spouses and children under 18) must obtain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).

This would have been arranged when you organised your visa.

Only a handful of registered health insurers offer OSHC, these include:

• ahm OSHC
• Allianz Care Australia (Peoplecare)
• BUPA Australia
• CBHS International Health
• Medibank Private
• NIB OSHC

Healthcare services covered by OSHC

OSHC providers allow you to claim 100 per cent of the government-set fee for a standard medical consultation.

OSHC covers:

• Doctor's visits
• Stay in a public hospital
• Ambulance services (when hospital admission is necessary)
• Some prescription medicines

OSHC does not cover:

• Dental
• Optical
• Physiotherapy

To cover these additional services, we strongly recommend that you take out additional private health insurance.

Learn more about health and safety

Wondering what accommodation suits you best?

With a wide range of accommodation types available to international students in Perth, you can find affordable, convenient and comfortable accommodation in the suburb of your choice.

If you are a secondary school student, you must live in a homestay with an Australian family or in the school’s boarding facilities.

If you are aged 18 years or older, you can choose to live on-campus, in a homestay or in a shared rental house/apartment with other students or friends. You may even choose to stay at one of Perth's newest dedicated student accommodation providers: Campus Perth, The Boulevard (managed by The Student Housing Company) or The Switch.

If you are considering renting, you may like to refer to this tenant’s guide which explains your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.

Here are some key factors to consider when selecting accommodation:

• What area are you planning to live in?
• What's your weekly budget for accommodation?
• How close is it to your institution?
• How close is it to public transport and what will the travel cost be?
• What amenities are nearby? (e.g. shops, hospitals, police stations, parks)
• Is there adequate heating and cooling?
• Is it noisy?
• Is the area safe and is the building secure?
• What will the insurance costs be?
• Does everything work? (e.g. smoke alarms, appliances, light switches)

Learn more about student accommodation

With one of the best-performing economies in the world and one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia, Western Australia offers a wide range of exciting employment opportunities. And, with the Western Australian Government’s skilled migration pathway initiative, those opportunities just got even greater.

With 194 new occupations recently added to the Graduate Occupation List, international student visa holders studying and working in Western Australia now have 331 occupations to choose from.

If you are an international student graduating in WA, the skilled migration pathway also allows you to apply for permanent residence. 

For more information or advice on immigration, get in touch with one of the following migration agencies that are also StudyPerth members:

• AUG Study

• Australia International Consultancy Services

• Australian Education Association (AEA)

• Aussizz Migration and Education Consultants

• Australian Centre

• Avanti Education

• Blue Education

• EducationPro

• Expert Education and Visa Services

• Experience Western Australia Japan

• FYME

• Go Study Australia

• IDP Australia

• Kingsbridge Australia

• LAT Group Australia

• Overseas Education Service