Residency status and your fees
If you have changed your residency status, you must inform Macquarie. You also need to understand the effect any change to your residency status will have on your fees.
Change of residency status includes:
- becoming an Australian citizen
- becoming a permanent residents
- former Humanitarian visa holders now permanent residents
- becoming a permanent New Zealand citizen.
Notifying the University of your change of residency
Before notifying the University, you:
- must show proof of your new residency by the next relevant census date for the change to impact the fees for that session
- may need to provide a copy of your passport photo page, Tax File Number or Australian citizenship certificate.
Residency Verification
If you are a commencing student at Macquarie University and you are either
- a permanent resident, or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder and former eligible permanent humanitarian visa holder
you will be required to verify your residency status prior to commencing your study.
Residency verification is required to ensure that you are charged correct tuition fees as per your residency status.
Australian Citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders (including eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holders), have the option to borrow the cost of your tuition fees by using HELP from the government. The amount you borrow is required to be paid back via the Australian Tax Office (ATO) when your income reaches a certain threshold. For more information please refer to Study Assist (https://www.studyassist.gov.au/).
HELP loans
If you have paid up front and are eligible to defer your fees to a HELP loan, you must notify Student Revenue Services before the census date for a refund. Once the census date has passed, students can no longer change their payment method.
From 1 January 2022, legislation was introduced to allow some former Humanitarian visa holders to retain eligibility to defer their tuition fees to HELP loans.
To be eligible you must:
- not currently a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- have previously held a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- have a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa.