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.

Changing your residency details

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:

  1. Former Humanitarian visa holders now Permanent Residents
  2. Becoming a Permanent Resident/NZ Citizen
  3. Becoming an Australian Citizen

If your residency details have changed, you must show proof of your new residency to Macquarie University by the next relevant census date for the change to impact the fees for that session.

If you are making upfront payments to the University, you should try to show proof of this change as soon as possible to have the correct fees printed on your Statement of Charges by the relevant payment due date.

How to apply:
Submit your request via AskMQ form. Processing of Change of residency may take up to 15 business days.

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.

An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is a person who meets all three criteria below:

  • is not currently a permanent humanitarian visa holder;

AND

  • was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder;

AND

  • is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa.

If you meet this criteria and would like to be assessed as eligible to defer your fees, on or before the relevant study period census date, you must submit the application below for assessment:

If you have changed your residency status to Permanent Resident, you must:

  • Provide a copy of your current passport photo page with the Residency Verification Form > Change of Residency Status
  • Your residency/visa status will be checked on VEVO (with the Department of Home Affairs).

For students going into Commonwealth Supported (CSP) courses such as a Bachelor’s course, you will also be required to complete a CSP form on eStudent by the census date before your fees can be updated to the domestic rates for the relevant study period. You will be advised in a reply if you are required to complete this form.

If you have paid International Fees for the current session of study and change your residency with Macquarie University by the census date, you will be eligible for the local (domestic) student fee rates. If there is a difference between this amount and what you have paid already, you can either request a refund of any credit amount or be required to pay the difference.

If you have changed your residency status to Australian Citizen, you must:

  • Provide a certified copy of your Australian Citizenship Certificate or Australian Passport to the Residency Verification Form  > Change of Residency Status
    • Your request will not be processed if the evidence you provide is not certified
  • Complete a new HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP form (whichever applies) with your Tax File Number (TFN) provided on eStudent, by the relevant census date if you are wishing to to defer your unit fees to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) via a HELP loan.

View the steps on how to how to complete your eCaf Government Assistance forms.

If you have paid up front and are eligible to defer your fees to a HELP loan, you must notify the Student Revenue Services office before the census date in order to request a refund. Once the census date has passed, students can no longer change their payment method.