Life in Australia Guide

Even if a child of a temporary visa family attends a public school, a temporary resident tuition fee set by the state education department may apply. The key point is that whether a fee applies depends on the state and your child's visa subclass (for example, 482). For the same 482 family, WA charges AUD 4,000 per family per year (checked October 2026), while QLD's official subclass table lists tuition fees for the 482 and 485 as 'No'. If your child is of compulsory school age, attending school is compulsory, so do not leave a fee problem unresolved. Check with the state education department.

Each state operates its own policy on public school fees, so contact points and criteria differ. The contact point is the Temporary Residents Program (TRP) in NSW, the International Student Program (ISP) in VIC, DEi (EQI) in QLD, TAFE International WA (TIWA) in WA and TGEI in TAS. NT has a fee table by visa, ACT has a process for applying for exemptions and relief, and SA has separate tuition fee guidance for 482 families (NT, ACT and SA are based on archived versions).

Whether a fee applies depends on your child's visa subclass and type (primary applicant, dependant, visitor and so on), and each state education department makes the decision. If your family is on a student visa, check your visa conditions in VEVO (see the guide on checking visa conditions). Work through the three checks below in order.

• Check your child's visa — find the subclass on the visa grant notice or in VEVO
• Look up the state's official table — the NSW and QLD subclass tables, the VIC Visa Fee Table and the TAS table
• Previous visa history — for a bridging visa, the previous substantive visa is generally what counts (QLD, WA, TAS). However, for Bridging E (051) for protection visa applicants, the TAS table and the NT table (based on the archived version) show tuition fees as 'No', so check with the contact point of the state concerned

These cases come from the states' official wording. Results differ by state and cannot be generalised, so check your child's subclass directly in the relevant state's table.

If fees apply, the usual order is: apply at the state contact point → invoice and payment → Authority to Enrol issued → school enrolment. The order differs by state, though. For example, 482 families in WA enrol directly at the local public school and pay on a TIWA invoice. Follow the guidance of the relevant state.

• Find out first whether you need an Authority to Enrol — on a visa that requires one, your child cannot attend school before it is issued (QLD, TAS and WA guidance)
• Prepare documents — you may be asked for the parents' and child's passports, current and previous visa documents, proof of address and so on (WA and TAS guidance)
• Check how to pay — whether you can pay in a lump sum, by instalments or through an employer differs by state (for example, WA describes direct debit instalments and payment by an employer)
• Report changes straight away — if your visa, address or school changes, tell the state contact point and the school (NSW and QLD guidance; in TAS, within 7 days). WA says you need to tell the school about a change in visa status for the invoice to be corrected
• If you are in difficulty, ask the contact point — relief and instalments are discretionary assessments that need supporting evidence, and approval is not guaranteed (QLD uses financial hardship or compassionate and compelling circumstances as its criteria)

These are points in the official wording that are easy to misunderstand. Check them so that you do not miss an invoice or an enrolment step.

• The myth that "a bridging visa continues the existing enrolment period" — WA says a bridging visa does not extend enrolment entitlements granted for a set period, and whether fees apply is based on the previous substantive visa.
• The myth that "if tuition fees do not apply, there are no costs" — school-level costs such as uniforms, textbooks and excursions are separate (QLD policy; school levies in TAS).
• The myth that "paying the tuition fee lets you attend a selective school" — NSW does not allow fee-paying temporary residents and student dependants to enrol in selective high schools or Opportunity Classes (OC) (see the selective schools guide).
• The mistake of "start school now, paperwork later" — children who need an Authority to Enrol cannot attend before it is issued, and in VIC cannot attend before enrolment and payment are confirmed.
• The mistake of ignoring an invoice — in NSW, unpaid fees can mean enrolment is ended and the debt is recovered through legal action, and in QLD, debt collection can start on unpaid amounts where relief was not approved. If you are in difficulty, get in touch first.