not eligible for HECS-HELP? (1 Viewer)

[Spiderspins]

It came on me as a bit of a shock whilst reading the booklet for students who are in a "commonwealth supported place" ( goingtouni.gov.au )

there seems to be 3 types of payment according to your residency status:

1.apparently Australian citizen and humanitarian permanent visa holders are commonwealth supported place-holders which mean the govt. subsidizes tuition costs as well as being eligible for HECS-HELP wheras ...

2.people who are just permanent residents minus the humanitarian bit, or NZ citizen are also eligible for the commonwealth thing BUT not HECS-HELP.

3.Then there are people who are neither of those things (international students i assume) and but can apply for FEES-HELP.

Im a bit worried because I'm a permanent resident from japan, although ive been living here for most of my life and know more english than i know japanese, I kinda want to keep my japanese citizenship (because the japanese govt. doesnt recognise dual citizenship ) which means i will have to discard my Japanese citizenship if I go all aussie. that being said, I'll happily lose it if it means I can go to uni without being sucked totally dry.

A couple of years ago someone told me that permanent residents are eligible for hecs-help and i regret that i didnt look it up myself. any permanent residents/ NZ citizens out there?

I just dont get how much I will have to pay upfront and how much "the govt will subsidize" and if i would have to pay them back, which would be like hecs-help anyway.

hope Im making sense and sorry for the epic wall of text

 

[Aquawhite]

I'm not too sure on the specifics, but from what you said it looks like you'd be best just losing the Japanese Citizenship - it's not like you'll need it if you want to stay in Australia.

 

[b0redAsian]

how do you know if the uni/gov has accepted your offer for HECS help? do we get some notifcation sooner or later?

 

[Spiderspins]

thanks for the reply; i cant see my reply on this so ill retype what i said:

according to my research the government will pay for some of my expenses but I dont know how much it will be.
if the amount I have to pay "up front" is less than like, say 5 grand per year I can manage it I think... ( the booklet gave me an example where the student contribution of an engineer course was $4000? )

Id rather keep my J-passport since I would like to live in japan in some stage of my life, or retire there at least. If I could find a way of knowing that I can get a permanent residency in japan for sure later on I would feel much better about renouncing my japanese citizenship status (want to keep my options open)

I just wish i could figure out what to do yet. :'(

 

[Spiderspins]

how do you know if the uni/gov has accepted your offer for HECS help? do we get some notifcation sooner or later?

i applied for it, but on the form it asked me if i was a permanent resident which i ticked truthfully yes. it says then and there PR that are not humanatarian and NZ residents are not eligible for HECS-HELP. however, im eligible for a commonweath supported place, and thats where I get confused.

 

[ajdlinux]

how do you know if the uni/gov has accepted your offer for HECS help? do we get some notifcation sooner or later?

It's completely automatic if you're an Australian citizen/permanent humanitarian visa holder who has a CSP. You don't need to be notified.

thanks for the reply; i cant see my reply on this so ill retype what i said:

according to my research the government will pay for some of my expenses but I dont know how much it will be.
if the amount I have to pay "up front" is less than like, say 5 grand per year I can manage it I think... ( the booklet gave me an example where the student contribution of an engineer course was $4000? )

Depends on the course. If you're doing maths/stats/science/education/nursing, $4355 per year. If you're doing law/dentistry/medicine/vet sci/accounting/economics/commerce/admin, $9080 per year. See http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-information/fees/local/2011-fees/2011-csp-rates.php

 

[Spiderspins]

Depends on the course. If you're doing maths/stats/science/education/nursing, $4355 per year. If you're doing law/dentistry/medicine/vet sci/accounting/economics/commerce/admin, $9080 per year. See http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-information/fees/local/2011-fees/2011-csp-rates.php

okay thanks. so is 4355-ish per year is all I need to pay each year?
besides the other thousands for books and things, its not too bad.

so people who get HECS-HELP dont have to pay anything, and pay off the 4355 or so that accumilated each year after they graduate? is that all there is to it?

 

[b0redAsian]

awesome LOL also... what is austudy?

 

[Trans4M]

awesome LOL also... what is austudy?

welfare payment from centrelink

 

[b0redAsian]

welfare payment from centrelink

who's applicable ?

 

[Aquawhite]

awesome LOL also... what is austudy?

Austudy is Youth Allowance for students aged 23 or older.

 

[ajdlinux]

so people who get HECS-HELP dont have to pay anything, and pay off the 4355 or so that accumilated each year after they graduate? is that all there is to it?

Basically. The government loans you the money and you pay it back through the tax system after you get a reasonably well paying job.

 

[izzy88]

Austudy is Youth Allowance for students aged 23 or older.

actually i think austudy is for students aged 25 and over. austudy centrelink

youth allowance is for students under 25; but you are classed as independent automatically from the age of 23 now and goes down to 22 next year- (it used to be 25 that you were automatically independent).

 

[tara_1993]

Hey,

Okay im in a similar situation too but I'm from New Zealand.

Basically, if u do want to take advantage of a HECS placement you would need to become a citizen by your universities census date (check with ur uni). If you decide to go down this path I would recommend physically going into the immigration office to lodge your application (call and make an appointment) as it will be processed much faster (or in my case it was done on the day ) then...seeming you need to have attended a ceremony to be considered a citizen you need to email/call them and request an urgent ceremony date due tot he fact university may not be possible without it.

Also, let the uni know what is going on...they will offer advice (usyd offered me heaps)

Otherwise, unfortunately you do have to pay your commonwealth supported amount....if you call up the uni they will be able to bring up the amount (you will receive an invoice in the next few weeks anyway) Also, unless your an australian citizen you dont get any discount on payments.

Hope it works out

 

[Spiderspins]

Hey,

Okay im in a similar situation too but I'm from New Zealand.

Basically, if u do want to take advantage of a HECS placement you would need to become a citizen by your universities census date (check with ur uni). If you decide to go down this path I would recommend physically going into the immigration office to lodge your application (call and make an appointment) as it will be processed much faster (or in my case it was done on the day ) then...seeming you need to have attended a ceremony to be considered a citizen you need to email/call them and request an urgent ceremony date due tot he fact university may not be possible without it.

Also, let the uni know what is going on...they will offer advice (usyd offered me heaps)

Otherwise, unfortunately you do have to pay your commonwealth supported amount....if you call up the uni they will be able to bring up the amount (you will receive an invoice in the next few weeks anyway) Also, unless your an australian citizen you dont get any discount on payments.

Hope it works out

ah thanks

i already printed out the application and started filling in the sheets, and photocopying documents, theres so much to do like getting my doctor to sign and provide photos or something... really wierd.
I thought id mail eveyrthing but going to the actual place would be MUCH faster.
although, do you remember (or have a link) to where you called to make a booking? because I called 131880 for citizenship enquiries but they just told me to mail the application.
did you ring the sydney office? coz i couldnt find a phone number, only an address and a fax number :/

thanks again!!

 

[tara_1993]

ah thanks

i already printed out the application and started filling in the sheets, and photocopying documents, theres so much to do like getting my doctor to sign and provide photos or something... really wierd.
I thought id mail eveyrthing but going to the actual place would be MUCH faster.
although, do you remember (or have a link) to where you called to make a booking? because I called 131880 for citizenship enquiries but they just told me to mail the application.
did you ring the sydney office? coz i couldnt find a phone number, only an address and a fax number :/

thanks again!!

Hey

Ummmm I didn't actually make an appointment...I just rocked up XD

Here is where the sydney office is: http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/australia/nsw-sydney.htm

anyways if you have EVERYTHING with you they should do everything on the day (if you 18 or over you will have to do the test and they will most likely give u the opportunity to do it on the day so be prepared...if you under 18 they just interview u for like a couple of minutes haha)

 

[zehurricane]

Sorry, but you wont get it kiddo... Need to be fully AUSTRALIAN (citizen) to get Hecs-Help....

The government wont loan to foreigner such as yourself because you might leave the country after your degree...

Oh and Australian citizen takes months / years... even if you have extensive proof, they need to scan if you have any hidden background or anything that might affect your chance to get a citizen like criminal record.

IMO, defer and work for 1 year or just go back to Japan and study there, Australia a shithole IMO.

O.P OP isn't eligible for Ausstudy.

 

[ajdlinux]

Oh and Australian citizen takes months / years... even if you have extensive proof, they need to scan if you have any hidden background or anything that might affect your chance to get a citizen like criminal record.

A few months possibly, but certainly not years. Even if it takes three months to come through, you could just pay your first semester up front then put everything else on HECS.

 

[tara_1993]

Sorry, but you wont get it kiddo... Need to be fully AUSTRALIAN (citizen) to get Hecs-Help....

The government wont loan to foreigner such as yourself because you might leave the country after your degree...

Oh and Australian citizen takes months / years... even if you have extensive proof, they need to scan if you have any hidden background or anything that might affect your chance to get a citizen like criminal record.

IMO, defer and work for 1 year or just go back to Japan and study there, Australia a shithole IMO.

O.P OP isn't eligible for Ausstudy.

They say it should take 6 months from start to when you attend the university.

Personally, it took a month. However, I have lived here as a permanent resident since I was quite young.

And as said above ^^ even if one semester has to be paid....the rest shouldnt have to be so...all the best!!! and hope it works out