Enrolling in a Sydney Public School on a 482 Visa: Address, Fees and Timing
Sydney has many excellent government schools, and for a lot of relocating families a public school is the right choice, particularly in the primary years. Two things work differently from what families expect: a place depends on your home address, and families on temporary visas, including the 482 skilled visa, pay an annual fee. This post explains both, and the order in which to do things.
Your address decides your school
In New South Wales, every child is entitled to a place at the government school for their home address. Each school has an intake area, sometimes called a catchment, and the school you can enroll in is the one whose intake area includes your home.
That is why, as Bennett’s Australia consultant May O’Kane puts it, a family that chooses a public school has to secure a house before they can enroll. Schools ask for proof of address, such as a residential lease, and schools that are at or near capacity check addresses carefully. In practice, choosing a suburb is the first school decision many Sydney families make.
The NSW Department of Education explains intake areas and how to find your local school on its enrollment pages.
The fee for families on temporary visas
Children whose parents hold most temporary visas, including the 482 visa, attend NSW government schools through the Temporary Residents Program and pay an annual tuition fee. The published fees are:
- 2026: A$6,400 a year from Kindergarten to Year 10, and A$7,600 in Years 11 and 12.
- 2027: A$6,600 from Kindergarten to Year 6, A$6,700 in Years 7 to 10, and A$7,800 in Years 11 and 12.
- A non-refundable application fee of A$150.
There are a few exemptions, for example where a parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. A newer exemption for 482 visa holders applies only to families who live in, and attend school in, eligible regional parts of New South Wales, so it does not cover Sydney. The current fee schedule and exemptions are published by NSW Department of Education International, and it is worth checking them against your own visa before you budget.
The steps, in order
For a family on a temporary visa, the sequence matters:
- Find a home in the intake area of the school you want, and sign the lease.
- Apply to the Department of Education’s international office through the Temporary Residents Program, with your visa details and address.
- Once the office has issued an authority to enroll, the school can complete the enrollment.
- The principal confirms your child’s year level, and placement is subject to the school having room.
Because the authority to enroll comes before the school place, it is worth starting the application as soon as you have an address, rather than waiting until the week before term.
Does the fee change the decision?
Families often ask whether the fee should push them toward a private school, or even toward a different city. In May’s experience, the fee is a factor but rarely the deciding one. Most of the families she works with have already been told their destination, and the choice between a public and a private school turns on other things: whether a particular school is a good fit for the child, its pastoral care, the peer group, and the realistic chance of a place.
Those questions cannot be settled by comparing fees alone. A public school in a strong intake area, with the fee, is often still the right answer for a young family on a shorter stay. For families looking at private schools as well, our post on Sydney private school waiting lists explains which year levels tend to have space.
How Victoria compares
If you are weighing Sydney against Melbourne, the rules differ. Victoria does not charge tuition to the children of 482 visa holders at its government schools, although, as in any school, families pay for uniforms, excursions, camps and optional activities, and schools may ask for voluntary contributions. Victoria also enrolls by address: each student has a designated neighborhood school based on where they live. Our post Sydney or Melbourne? sets the two systems side by side.
How a Bennett consultant helps
A Bennett consultant explains how intake areas work in the suburbs you are considering, which public schools are well regarded there, and what your family needs to arrange before enrollment, so you can look for a home with the school in mind. If a private school might suit your child better, we look at that option alongside.
Our Sydney education consultants work with families on temporary visas every week, and May’s answers on moving to Sydney with kids are a good place to start.
Bennett International Education Consultancy works directly with hundreds of families each year across the globe. We support families by helping them make informed decisions about the best-fit schools for their children; with our guidance, they secure placement in preschools, private day schools, public/state schools, boarding schools, colleges and universities, including schools with particular programs, such as special needs support.
