Student Visas for Perth
Here we hear about a Perth international student’s pathway to obtaining their visafor Australia.
We help and advise students and are registered migration agents in Perth, Western Australia.
This article will help international students arriving in Perth, Australia,, find out what they need to know when applying for student visas for Australia.
Introduction to the student visa decision
I am an international student living in Perth,, the capital city of Western Australia. Western Au tralia is the largest state by land mass in Australia,, with a population of 2.4 million. I am fro Burundi,, a country in central Africa with a population of just over 10 million.
I am currently enrolled in the postgraduate study of Master of Business Administration International at Edith Cowan University. My course is fo two years, which started in February last year and will end this year in December.
In this article,, I will explain what made me choose Perth as a place to study.
When I completed my high school diploma in Rwanda wh, a neighbouringuntry to Burundi; m, initial choice was to study in Canada. Burundi’s secsecond guage is French so, so study in French. D in Burundiue to a lack o of lish schools at that time I ,did the last part of my high school in Rwanda wh,ere all the subjects were beight in English.
At the end of my high school I,, wanted to go to Canada to a bilingual University since in Burundi and Rwanda I could not find a university that offered the same quality of education as that offered in Canada. Canadian unive ies have an iuniversitiesiesJanuary and September. I passed my exaexam February and did not want to wait until September.
I applied to study at the Australia Studies Institute in Nairobi,, Keny,a, since I had friends there and their intakes were in March, July and October. Luckily I got i n the Mar,ch intaind started my bachelor degree at tbachelor’salian Studies Institute (AUSI) which is affiliated, to (ECU) Edith Cowanwith Edith Cowan Universityniversi visa erth story began here.
At the AUSI I was introduced to the Edith Cow,an University by way eminars where an ECU unthroughrepresent,ative gave us an insight into studying and living in Australia. I attended seve seminars and my interest iseven lia as a, study destination grew.
I arranged to meet with the ECU representative and discussed my options if I decided to study in Australia. This meeting ma me lieve that studying in Australia would be a good option for me, and I abandoned my plan to study in Canada and focused on study options at an Australian University.
The representative I met was from ECU, so our discussions were about courses at ECU and lifestyle options in Perth, where the University is based.
What I learned
In the meeting, I learned that winters were mild and the summers were dry and hot. Perth had a vivibrantnd fafast-growingopulation. The average wag er hour is PerthPerth’ss $20 per ho for unskk. International s ents are only allowed to work 20 hours per week. The cost of sha accommodation was around $160 per week which will make it around $16,640 for the two years including all the bills and Wi-Fi, if you live outside the university.Universityve on pus, it is around $220-250 per week which makes it around $24500 for the two years including all the bills.
You have to purchase your own Wi-Fi. If you are cook the cost of food can be around $40-50 per week and around $4600 for the two years, it depends on the type of food you like to cook if you are the type to not cook it is much more than that. Perth has trans t facilities such as bus and trains, you use your student ID for public transport which you put money on depending on how often you use it. For students it cheaper you use $1.02 from the University Universityy. This fare relat specifically for me. To travel from Lawley Campus to Joondalup Campus it costs $1.80. Using public t n o is cheaper however it’s better to have your own car. Transport servi es ar still evolving in Perth and I have experience delays which are very frustrating.
There are other costs I can include such as school books costing anything from $80-$200 depending on the books you are buying for the two years budget to spend around $800. One way to save money is to buy second hand books from students who have finished their studies.
Other costs I can include are such as mobile cost if you have your own mobile you can use a plan of around $30 per month which is likely to include free national calls and some international and like 4-6GB for internet depending on your mobile operator, for the two years it is around $720 but if you would like to own a new mobile using a mobile plan it is quite expensive around $2000.
Going out for a night having a few drinks and dinner in Perth can cost around $100. Depending on wh re yo go and what you drink costs could be higher. A glass of beer in a ub can cost $8 per drink and the average price of a dinner with a starter and desert can cost $68.
The travel cost a one way flight to Australia from Nairobi is around $1800-2000. The travel time is ap roximately 25-32 hours. Since obtaining my st dent for visa Perth I have found that the cost of living is high in Perth and although wage rates are good compared to wages in Burundi the money does not go far.
When I got my student visa for Perth I was advised to bring around $4500 with me as I did not have a bank account, this was good advice.
The fees for international students are a little bit high compared to what the local students pay but I would say ECU have fair prices comparing to some other Universities in Perth for a similar program. At ECU the tuit on fe s are almost $11000 per semester which makes it around $43000 for the course.
When a student decided on getting a student visa for Perth cost consideration must be thought about carefully
I considered all the information that was presented to me and decided to get a student visa for Perth as a good study International destination.
Whilst I am in Perth I intend to gain experience in an Australia business where I can gain practical experience in my field of study.
Studying in Perth is a rewarding experience, combining excellent education with opportunities to work and explore the local culture. Explore job opp rt ni ies for students in Australia or find flexible jobs tailored for international students to make the most of your time in Perth.
Also read – Australia Study Visa Guide
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