oz miller man

ive just accepted an offer to go to uni through the summer as a foundation to doing a degree course that starts in feb

having read up a bit about HECS (commonwealth assistance of fees paid upfront then repaid through tax) im a bit confused

although this summer school is a free course i still had to fill out an HECS application
the options of HECS only seemed available to australian citizens and those on permanent humanitarian visas
so as im on a permanent res visa do i not qualify?

ive read about student learning entitlement that gives 7 years of entitlement to permanent visa holders
is this the same thing as HECS ?

hopefully have time to get my citizenship before feb to be on the safe side

just seems bizarre i always thought permanent resident visa holders had more or less the same rights as citizens

quoll

Nope, you have to pay fees upfront each semester as a permanent resident and no HECS Help either. http://www.goingtouni.gov.au/Main/Qu...s/HECSHELP.htm

The Bloke

See also......http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=632401

oz miller man

thanks for the link, someone else out there wondering

luckily ive been here since 2003 so can go for the citizenship, just hope i can get it sorted in time

the commonwealth SLE entitlement was throwing me off track as it does say you qualify as a permanent resident
might be an option as i will be living on austudy/centerlink until it starts.
ill look more into this if it looks like there will be any delays with the citizenship

typically the citizenship process is all changing cant even get a test date until the systems up and running on 19 oct

moneypenny20

I did a 'precursor to starting uni course' as a PR and whilst I had to fill out the HECS info, I actually didn't have to pay anything and wasn't claiming HECS - it seemed to be just paperwork they needed if and when I decided to follow the course on and go to Uni proper.

dave99

Only australian citizens can claim HECS, my partner has just started uni but unfortunately our citizenships havent come through yet so shes having to pay.
They sat on someones desk for 3 months with nothing happening despite us chasing them up, eventually got a supervisor to sort it out now we are just waiting another 4 months for the ceremony.

Does anyone know what happens to HECS debt if you leave the country, can you still pay i off from elsewhere?

canadaeh

You can pay your HECS debt from overseas by making your own voluntary contributions (think you get a discount if you do this), but it won’t be taken out automatically as the repayments are taken only from any Australian Taxable Income you earn over a certain amount. The government also doesn’t “chase” you for it as the agreement is to pay it back out of an Australian Taxable Income.

When I was paying my HECS back and then went overseas it stopped, when I came back and started earning in Australia it started again automatically.

quoll

If you go o/s and dont pay then the interest keeps accruing so if you were to come back then it would have increased quite a bit in your absence. You can pay it back voluntarily if you are o/s though - it's easy enough to do especially if you have money in an Aus bank a/c and can use bpay.

kitty4

I thought HECS was interest free?

Centurion

Its indexed though which still increases the debt over time.

http://ato.gov.au/individuals/conten...ationrates.htm

Basically expect 2.5% to be chucked on every year after 12 months of it being outstanding at the moment.

oz miller man

sounds like the course im about to do
prepare me for study as a mature student, its free but i had to fill out the HECS paperwork, so glad i did as i would never have realised i didnt qualify for the HECS loan
how did you find the course? worthwhile?
hope i get the citizenship sorted in time. if not ill have to pay the first year upfront at a subsidized rate....about $5000 i think

shame i didnt do the nursing degree in the uk.....wouldnt cost a penny and id get a weekly bursary

dave99

So in theory if you never came back to australia you would never have to repay the debt?

I understand it would continue to grow larger as its indexed but if you never came back and they dont chase, perhaps someone could get away with never repaying it?

Mr Grumpy

You are getting confused between having a Commonwealth Supported Place and being eligible for the HECS-HELP loan scheme.

PR are able to gain entry to CSP courses BUT not take out the HECS-HELP loan. You get a subsidised spot, but still have to pay upfront.

canadaeh

Yep, true, I know some people who have done it.... but at the end of the day Karma will catch up. I mean you get a Degree under a great system (HECS Loan) that you might otherwise not have been able to do, I think it’s only right you pay it back.

JAJ

"Get away with"? In a manner of speaking perhaps but your Australian citizenship then becomes worthless and are you willing to sell it for that?

This is the reason why non-Australian citizens have been stopped from claiming HECS.