The Australian Government does not provide any financial or other support for your family.

If you want to bring your family to Australia, we recommend you wait at least six months so you can finalise your living arrangements and settle into your studies. During this time, you will also be able to seek places in childcare or school for your children.

Childcare

Under Australian law, parents have a legal obligation to make sure their children are safe. Young children, including children of primary school age, must be supervised at all times. Leaving your child in a car unsupervised at any time is extremely dangerous and is illegal in Australia. You must have care arrangements in place for your young children while you are studying or working. For more information visit: www.parentlink.act.gov.au/

If you need childcare, you will need to book early because there are often long waiting periods for places—sometimes six months or more. Childcare is also expensive in Australia and can cost $70 a day or more in some states.

If you require schooling for your child, they can attend public government funded primary and secondary schools. If you want to receive a tuition exemption, or low tuition fees, make sure your children are attached on your Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector (Subclass 500) visa. Otherwise, you will have to pay full international student fees for your children.

Your Student Contact Officer can provide advice about schools and childcare providers near your institution.

Health insurance

Remember that your family must have their own Overseas Student Health Cover. This is not funded by your Australia Awards scholarship and you must pay for it yourself.

If you decide to bring your family to Australia, you must either:

  • request your institution to arrange family cover for the duration of the scholarship from the institution’s preferred Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) provider. In this case, the institution will pay for the equivalent of single cover, and you must pay the balance; or
  • purchase family cover from a provider other than your institution’s preferred provider. In this case your institution is still required to purchase you a single OSHC for the duration of your stay in Australia, but you are responsible for the entire cost of the family cover.

You can find further information on OHSC on the Study in Australia website.

Family visas

All accompanying family must travel on a Student visa (Subclass 500) (Subsequent entrant). You will not be eligible to receive the reunion airfare entitlement if your family accompanies you during your studies, regardless of what visa type they travel on.

To apply for a visa for your family, you need a No Objection letter from the Australian Embassy Hanoi. To obtain that letter, you must submit the following documents to the Australia Awards office in Vietnam. However, you must apply for your family’s visa yourself once you have obtained the letter – the Australia Awards office in Vietnam is not responsible for visa applications for dependents. 

  1. Family entry request form
  2. Birth certificate for each child
  3. Evidence of OSHC upgrade to cover your family
  4. Evidence of school arrangements in place (if your children are aged between 5 to 18 years old)
  5. Evidence of notifying your Institution of your intention to bring family members
  6. Other documents if requested or required (such as reunion airfare waiver)

All enquiries on family visas should be sent directly to the Department of Home Affairs.