3.8.15.10 Qualification for Relocation Scholarship

Qualification (1.1.Q.10) criteria

In order to qualify for a relocation scholarship payment, a person:

• must be entitled to receive an amount of YA other than a PhA or RA component, AND
• must be receiving YA because he or she is undertaking full-time study in an approved scholarship course, AND
• will be starting the course, or continuing the course, within the next 35 days, AND
• is EITHER:
  • independent due to particular circumstances (see below), OR
  • dependent but required to live away from home, AND

• is not likely to receive a Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship in the next 12 months.

A person who is independent can qualify for a relocation scholarship if they receive YA at the independent rate because of one or more of the following circumstances:

• they have, or have had, a dependent child who is, or was, wholly or substantially in their care, or
• they are an orphan, or
• their parents cannot exercise their responsibilities because they are in prison, missing, or are mentally incapacitated or living in a nursing home and likely to remain so for an indefinite period, or
• they are a refugee (unless they have a parent living in Australia, or are wholly or substantially dependent on someone else on a long term basis) (1.1.R.110), or
• they are a young person in state care (1.1.S.320), or
• it is unreasonable for them to live at home (3.2.5.80), or
• the student is specially disadvantaged.

Note 1: A person who is independent only for a reason other than those listed above - for example, because he or she is a member of a couple, has reached the age of independence, or is independent under the workforce participation criterion in SSAct section 1067A(10) does not qualify for a relocation scholarship payment.

Note 2: Relocation scholarships will not be payable to students undertaking VET courses at higher education institutions, because these courses are not approved scholarship courses.

When a person is not qualified for a relocation scholarship payment - receipt of relocation scholarship etc. in previous 12 months

Despite meeting the qualification criteria for a relocation scholarship payment, a person is not qualified for a relocation scholarship payment if, in the 12 months before the person's qualification is assessed, the person qualified for, or received:

• a relocation scholarship payment, or
• an ABSTUDY relocation scholarship payment, or
• a relocation scholarship payment under the scheme referred to in section 117 of the VEA, or
• a relocation scholarship payment under the scheme referred to in section 258 of the MRCA, or
• a Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship (even if the Scholarship was not paid or not paid in full because it was suspended).

What this means in practice is that a person can only receive one relocation scholarship payment (or similar payment) every 12 months.

The Secretary can decide to reduce the 12-month disqualification period, to a minimum of 3 months, in order to align the payment of relocation scholarship with the start of the education (calendar) year. However, the Secretary cannot do this for a person if it would result in the person receiving more than 2 relocation scholarship payments in a period of 2 successive calendar years.

When a person is not qualified for relocation scholarship payment - person has reached age of independence before receiving first relocation scholarship payment etc.

A person who is independent because of the circumstances listed under qualification criteria above, but who has also reached the age of independence, is not qualified for a relocation scholarship payment unless the person has previously received:

• a relocation scholarship payment, or
• an ABSTUDY relocation scholarship payment, or
• a relocation scholarship payment under the scheme referred to in section 117 of the VEA, or
• a relocation scholarship payment under the scheme referred to in section 258 of the MRCA, or
• a Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship.

What this means in practice is that a person cannot qualify for a relocation scholarship payment once they have reached the age of independence, unless they received a relocation scholarship payment (or similar payment) before they reached the age of independence. Note that a person who is independent solely because he or she has reached the age of independence does not qualify for a relocation scholarship in the first place - see qualification criteria above.

Act reference: SSAct section 592J Qualification for relocation scholarship payment, section 592K Circumstances in which person is not qualified for relocation scholarship payment, section 1067A When a person is regarded as independent

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Last reviewed: 9 February 2012