Accommodations for Foreign Students Living in Australia

StudyInAustralia today has become the third most preferred education destination just after USA and the UK. Its extensive facilities and amenities for foreign students, coupled with a warm and friendly ambience have made Australia an educational hub of high repute. There are extensive facilities of accommodation in Australia to cater to the needs of international students. International students have a myriad of options since many facilities for accommodation in Australia strive or cater to the different needs, budgets and wants of all students. International students could choose from different types of facilities like home stay, farm stays, boarding schools, university accommodation, hostels and guesthouses, rental accommodation and share accommodation.

For foreign students who wish to experience the Australian lifestyle while pursuing their course studies, home stay or farm stay are perfect options. Those pursuing Secondary School education in Australia can avail of boarding options offered by the private schools. Both Secondary and University students could also opt for hostel and guesthouse accommodation.

Share accommodation is an arrangement by two or more students to live together in an apartment or a house and share costs while rental accommodation includes rental agreements that require students to make payment of a ‘rent’ in advance and make a security payment of a ‘bond’ which generally includes a month’s rent.

Two very important factors for accommodation in Australia are cost and availability. Share Accommodation and accommodation in university halls bring about the least costs in Australia. Home stay, university residential colleges and rental accommodation have incurred higher costs but these options provide students with more facilities as compared to university halls or share accommodation. Hostel and guesthouses also provide more facilities at relatively lower costs.

Immigration & Australia

StudyInAustralia, like most countries in the world, requires visas for every person who enters the country. And like most countries, Visa processing can be complex.

There are two programs designed to help people who intend to migrate to Australia permanently:

• Migration program, made up of:
  • Skilled migration stream- composed of a number of categories; this program is intended for people with particular occupation skills, outstanding talents and business skills
  • Family migration stream – Where people can gain sponsorship from Relatives who are Australian citizens or permanent residents
  • Special eligibility migrants- these are composed of former citizens or residents who want to return to Australia
• Humanitarian program
  This program is designed for refugees and others in special humanitarian need.
  • Offshore resettlement program – assists people in the humanitarian need overseas for whom resettlement in another country is the only option
  • Onshore protection component- for those who are already in Australia who arrived on temporary visas or in an unauthorized manner and who claim Australia’s protection.

Categories for the Skilled Migration:

• General Skilled Migration
• Employer-sponsored Migration
  • Employer Nomination Scheme
    • To enable Australian employers to recruit permanently, they must be highly skilled staff from overseas or from non-Australian citizens living temporarily in Australia.
  • Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme
    • To assist Australian employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia, who are unable to fill skilled vacancies from the Australian labor market.
• Labor Agreements
  • Enable Australian employers to permanently or temporarily recruit a specified number of workers from overseas in response to emerging labor market (or skill) shortages in the Australian labor market.

  For tourists or those who intend to visit Australia for a holiday, to visit relatives, friends or for other short term non-work processes, visa options include:

• ETA (Visitor- subclass 976)
  • Electronically stored Authority intended for short term visits, up to 3 months.
• Tourist visa (subclass 676)
  • Temporary visa for 3-6 months; in certain circumstances, a stay of up to 12 monts may be granted
• Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679)
  • For those who intend to visit their family in Australia. This should be formally sponsored by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.If you intend to stay in Australia longer than your original visa allows, another visa is required. If refused another visa, you must leave Australia before the expiry of the original visa.There are also a number of visa options for international students; the length of stay depending on the course you intend to undertake and have been accepted. With a successful application, you will be given a Multiple Entry Visa within the period of which the visa has been granted. Your student visa can be cancelled when you discontinue your studies or fail to meet the conditions of your visa. Parents or relatives can also apply for a visa to stay in Australia as the guardian of a student who is studying in Australia.