International Student Guide
Preparing for overseas study requires a great deal of planning. As you are planning to arrive, live and study in Australia, you may have a lot of questions on your mind such as how much money to bring, what to pack, Australian customs and quarantine laws, schooling information for your children (if you are planning to arrive with your family) and many more.
We understand that settling into a new environment requires adequate information and knowledge.
Our International Student Guide will help you to prepare for your studies in Australia and to settle into your new environment. International Student Guide is provided to all newly enrolled off-shore students on confirmation of enrolment.
Checklist of things to do before leaving home
- Apply for a passport, and make sure the passport is valid for all of the time you plan to be abroad.
- Arrange for a student visa.
- Make contact with the Australian educational institution where you plan to study to confirm your enrolment and start date and check if your institution or college has an airport greeting service.
- Arrange for immunisations and medications from your doctor.
- Apply for a credit card and/or arrange for sufficient funds to be available for you to access in Australia.
- Confirm overseas access to your funds with your bank.
- Make travel arrangements, including travel insurance.
- Advise your educational institution of your travel details.
- Arrange accommodation for at least your first week in Australia, if not longer.
- Arrange transport from the airport to your accommodation, and change enough currency into Australian dollars before you leave so that you can catch a taxi or make a phone call in the event of an emergency.
- When packing your bags, make sure you include the name and contact details of your institution’s international representative.
Important Documents
- Valid passport
- Printout of your student visa confirmation letter
- Your institution’s offer of a place/admission letter
- Electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE)
- Receipts of payments (e.g. tuition fees, OSHC, bank statements)
- Insurance policies
- Original or certified copies of your academic transcripts and qualifications
- Other personal identification documents (e.g. birth certificate, ID card, driver’s licence)
- Medical records and prescriptions
- Photocopy of credit/debit card(s)
- Prescriptions and generic names of medications
- Reference letters for potential employers/landlord.
Before you leave, it is advised to prepare a folder of official documents to bring with you, and to make copies of all your documents and leave them with someone at home who can send them on to you if the originals get lost. When flying, keep all your documents in your carry-on luggage.
Australian Immigration
You have just arrived in Australia and cannot wait to get outside and get started on the next leg of your journey. But when you first arrive, you will be required to make your way through Australian immigration.
An immigration officer will ask to see your completed incoming passenger card (given to you on the plane) and your passport. The immigration officer will check your documents and may ask you a few questions about your planned stay in Australia. You may also have to show your Confirmation of Enrolment.
Clearing Customs in Australia
Once you have cleared the immigration checkpoint you will enter the baggage hall where you can claim your luggage and proceed to Customs and baggage examination.
People arriving in Australia clear Customs through one of two channels: the green channel is for those with ‘nothing to declare’; the red channel for those with ‘something to declare’. You must to declare any food, plant materials and animal products. For more information about what you can and cannot bring into Australia, visit www.border.gov.au
Regardless of the channel you follow, your luggage, including your hand luggage, may be x-rayed inspected or checked by a detector dog team. If you do not have anything to declare, follow the green channel. If you do have something to declare, follow the red channel.
As you go through the red channel of Customs, an official will ask you to open your luggage so that it can be inspected. If the Customs official decides that an item is not quarantined, you will be allowed to keep it and move through the Customs checkpoint. If the item is quarantined, it will either be confiscated and destroyed, or held for decontamination and returned to you at a later date.
Australia has strict quarantine laws so it is important to declare all the items you are carrying on the incoming passenger card. Those who do not declare honestly risk fines and prosecution.
