Entry Into Australia

• Australian Immigration
• Baggage Claim
• Detector Dogs
• Australian Customs and Quarantine
• Arrivals Hall
• Documents
• Keeping In Contact
• Accessing Money
• How Much to Bring
• Currency Exchange
• Electronic Transfer
• ATMs
• Credit Cards
• Accommodation
• Bringing My Family

Australian Immigration

When you first arrive in Australia you will be required to make your way through Australian Immigration (follow the signs for Arriving Passengers as you leave the plane). An Immigration Officer will ask to see your completed Incoming Passenger Card (given to you on the plane) along with your passport and student visa evidence. The Immigration Officer will check your documents and may ask you a few questions about your plans for your stay in Australia.

Baggage Claim

Once you have passed through the immigration checks you will move to baggage claim (follow the signs) and collect your luggage. Check that nothing is missing or damaged. If something is missing or damaged go to the Baggage Counter and advise them of your problem. Staff at the Baggage Counter will help you to find your belongings or lodge a claim for damage.

Detector Dogs

You may see a Quarantine Detector Dog at the baggage carousel or while waiting in line to pass through immigration, screening luggage for food, plant material or animal products. If you see a detector dog working close to you, please place your bags on the floor for inspection. These dogs are not dangerous to humans and are trained to detect odours. Sometimes a dog will sit next to your bag if it sniffs a target odour. Sometimes dogs will detect odours left from food you have had in the bag previously. A quarantine officer may ask about the contents of your bag and check you are not carrying items that present a quarantine risk to Australia.

Back to top

Australian Customs and Quarantine

Once you have your luggage you will go through Customs. Be careful about what you bring into Australia. Some items you might bring from overseas can carry pests and diseases that Australia doesn’t have. You must declare ALL food, meat, fruit, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials or their derivatives.

Australia has strict quarantine laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or x-rayed by quarantine officers, detector dog teams and x-ray machines. If you fail to declare or dispose of any quarantine items, or make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be prosecuted and fined more than AU$60,000 and risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened.

Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and disease will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).
For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials or their derivatives visit www.daffa.gov.au/aqis.

Arrivals Hall

You will be able to leave the restricted area and enter the Arrivals Hall once you have cleared Customs. Here you will find a number of retail and food outlets along with public telephones, an information booth and money exchange facilities. If you arrive on a weekend, you may like to exchange money here as most banks are not open on Saturdays and Sundays.

Back to top

Documents

You should prepare a folder of official documents to bring with you to Australia, including:

• Valid passport with Student Visa
• Offer of a place / admission letter from institution/school
• Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) issued by institution/school
  
• Receipts of payments (e.g. tuition fees, OSHC, bank statements etc.)
• Insurance policies
• Original or certified copies of your academic transcripts and qualifications
• Other personal identification documents, e.g. birth certificate, ID card, driver’s licence
• Medical records and/or prescriptions

If you are travelling with your family you will need to include their documents as well. Keep all documents in your carry-on luggage. In case you lose the originals, make copies that can be left behind with family and sent to you.

Keeping in Contact

Before you leave home, you should provide your family and friends, and your education provider in Australia, with details of your flights to Australia and where you will be staying when you arrive. (Do not change these details without informing them.) Once you have arrived in Australia, you should then let your family and friends know that you have arrived safely. It is important to ALWAYS let someone know where you are and how to contact you by phone or by post.

International students, who have any concerns or queries while studying at Wesley Institute, should contact the International Student Advisor, Ian Brooks, on 9819 8820 during business hours. Wesley Institute also provides a number of staff to help you with specific matters relating to your studies and well being.  The Student Handbook includes details of student support services and guidance on who can help you with your concerns.

Back to top

Accessing Money

You should read this section carefully, and discuss the issues raised in this section with the bank or financial institution in your home country before you leave. All banks operate differently and you should be aware of all fees, charges, ease of access to your funds, and safety of the way in which you will access those funds.

How Much to Bring

You will need to make sure you have enough funds to support you when you first arrive. It is recommended that you have approximately AU$1500 to AU$2000 available for the first two to three weeks to pay for temporary accommodation and transport.  You should bring most of this money as either Traveller’s Cheques or on an international credit card. Traveller’s cheques can be cashed at any bank or currency exchange in Australia.

Please note that it is not safe to bring large sums of money with you! Lost credit cards or traveller’s cheques can be replaced, but very few travel insurance companies will replace lost or stolen cash. Do not ask someone you have just met to handle your cash for you or to take your cash to make payments for you. Not even someone who may indicate they are studying at the same education institution.

Back to top

Currency Exchange

Only Australian currency can be used in Australia. If you have not brought some with you, you will need to do so as soon as possible after arrival. You can do this at the airport. Once you have arrived in Sydney, you can also change money at any bank or at currency exchanges that can be found in the city.

Electronic Transfer

You can transfer money into Australia by electronic telegraph or telegraphic transfer at any time. This is a fast option and will take approximately 48 hours, but the bank will charge a fee on every transaction.

ATMs

Automatic Teller Machines are located everywhere (including at the airport) and you can immediately withdraw cash from your overseas bank account at ATMs displaying the Cirrus Logo (if your ATM card has international access). Check this with your financial institution before leaving home. 

Credit Cards

All major international credit cards are accepted in Australia but you must remember that repayments to many of these cards can only be made in the country where they were issued. Do not rely on being able to get a credit card once you arrive in Australia because this is very difficult due to credit and identification laws. 

Back to top

Accommodation

It is important you have at least short-term accommodation sorted before you get on the plane.

There are Student Housing facilities that provide accommodation. It’s a great place to meet students living in Sydney. Usually accommodation is in single bedroom/studies and twin-share bedrooms with individual study areas. Meals are served in the dining room, and there are indoor and outdoor common areas. The Housing Supervisors provide meals and take care of general household management. For more information on student Housing contact the following organisations:

Arundel House – www.arundelhouse.asn.au
Downie House – www.pssd.org.au
Flo Harris Lodge – www.floharrislodge.org.au
St Barnabas Terraces – www.terraces.com.au

If you know someone in Sydney this is a great way to settle in to life here.  Your friends or family can provide advice, support and encouragement in your first days in Australia. 

To rent property in Sydney, tenants are usually required to provide character references and statements of confirming your history of paying rent on time or bank statements showing your capacity to do so. The following websites will give you some idea of the different types of dwellings available for rent and their costs per week as well as properties which are currently on the market if you are thinking of buying property to live in during your stay in Australia.

www.realestate.com.au
www.sydney.gumtree.com.au
www.flatmatefinders.com.au
www.domain.com.au

Back to top

Bringing My Family

Most student visas allow you to bring your family members to Australia as your dependants (check your individual circumstances with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship See: Arranging Visas). Family members include your spouse, and you and your spouse's dependent children.  Before bringing your spouse or children to Australia, you will have to prove that you can support them financially. The cost of supporting a family in Australia is very high. You may have to consider and discuss many issues with your family.