ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice going overseas 102-11090000

All staff are responsible for handling the portability interview. The ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing staff are responsible for handling any departure coding for the following:

• students and Australian Apprentices who are going overseas to undertake approved study or work (including work placements that are part of their approved study)
• customers who clearly do not satisfy an approved reason
• customers leaving to live in another country

In all other cases, if a customer has indicated their overseas travel meets the initial criteria for an approved reason, the case must be referred to Centrelink International Services (CIS) to assess entitlement and code the departure, as only designated staff within CIS have the delegation to complete the assessment.

Note: do not refer overseas full-time study (OFS) cases to CIS.

The Portability Script - Departures and Returns cannot be used for assessing portability entitlement for ABSTUDY.

If a customer is leaving Australia to live in another country, ABSTUDY payments will stop from the earlier of the date of departure and:

• for students, the last day the customer satisfies the activity test
• for Australian Apprentices, the date their Commonwealth Registration Number is cancelled

If an ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice leaves Australia temporarily, payment may continue if they are absent for an approved reason only and for a specific negotiated period:

• for a temporary absence of any length (but unlikely to be more than a few weeks) to attend a training camp with Australian Defence Force Reserves
• for a specific negotiated period (not more than 6 weeks):
• to attend to an acute family crisis
• for medical treatment not available in Australia

Customers will be activity test exempt while absent for these reasons. The allowable absence reasons are subject to very specific guidelines.

ABSTUDY is only portable overseas if travelling for an approved reason as listed above. It is not portable for general portability such as a holiday etc.

Note: ABSTUDY may also continue outside Australia for the duration of approved overseas study or work. Further information is below.

Before making a decision about whether ABSTUDY can be paid for overseas study or work, determine if:

• students continue to satisfy the ABSTUDY student qualification criteria
• Australian Apprentices continue to have a current Commonwealth Registration Number
• the overseas study (including work placement) or work will contribute to, and be credited towards, a full-time course or apprenticeship in Australia

Note: do not refer these cases to CIS.

The customer must:

• advise their date of departure from Australia, and return date (if known), and
• provide written advice from their Australian educational institution or State Training Authority confirming proof of the reason for their absence

Generally, a customer who is studying externally (for example, by correspondence or online) will not need to attend a campus overseas to complete units of their approved course. However, external students can access extended portability under overseas study provisions if they can demonstrate their primary reason for going overseas is to undertake studies that form part of the course. This could be a residential component at an overseas institution or an overseas work placement provided it is part of the Australian course.

A student or Australian Apprentice granted portability for overseas study or work can continue to receive ABSTUDY for the duration of the approved absence. The approved period may include additional travel time to allow them to prepare for the study/work and/or to finalise their affairs and return to Australia.

ABSTUDY students may be eligible for Relocation Scholarship when they undertake approved overseas study provided they meet all other eligibility criteria for the scholarship. See Relocation Scholarship (RS) eligibility and Relocation Scholarship (RS) payment and coding.

Customers must provide acceptable proof of the absence, preferably before their departure.

If it is accepted the customer is leaving for an approved reason, they will be required to provide supporting documentation on their return. If the documentation is not acceptable or not provided, a debt will be raised.

If a customer provides supporting documentation relating to a previous temporary absence which was not for an approved reason at the time, do not run the Review officer script as a decision on their portability has not yet been made. Refer the case:

• for overseas study for students and Australian Apprentices, to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing Team
• in all other cases, to CIS

ABSTUDY will stop from the date of departure if the reason for leaving Australia is not acceptable or the customer does not provide proof of the reason either before or after the absence.

A customer's portability period starts on the day they leave Australia. For portability purposes, a customer is not considered to be inside Australia for any part of the day they departed Australia regardless of the time of departure. If the customer is travelling outside Australia on a cruise, the date of departure is the date the ship leaves the last Australian port.

The day a customer returns to Australia is not included as part of their absence as they are considered to be inside Australia on that day (regardless of the time of return) and therefore no longer affected by portability. If they leave and return on the same day, for example airline crew, this is not considered a departure from Australia for portability purposes.

Customer advises change of departure or return date

If a customer travelling for an approved reason advises they are departing on a specific date, and they then depart Australia more than 3 days before or more than 3 days after the advised date, any specific negotiated period of portability approved for the original date of departure will cease to apply. The customer's approved reason for travel outside Australia may no longer be valid. Payments will stop when the customer's actual date of departure is confirmed by the Immigration Datalink.

Customers must advise of any change in their departure details prior to travel if they wish to be paid during the absence. Service Officers can assess if the approved reason still applies and record the new departure date and reason again.

The return rule for ABSTUDY means where a customer has been granted an approved overseas study absence, a brief return to Australia (up to 6 weeks) within the approved study period does not interrupt the portability period for the course of study overseas. No new decision is required in such cases.

However, if a student or Australian Apprentice studying or working overseas decides to extend the length of their overseas course (for example, wants to continue studying overseas for an extra semester) the customer must apply to have their payment continue and provide new supporting evidence.

For approved reasons other than overseas study, customers who are unable to return to Australia by the end of the specific negotiated period must contact CIS or their payment will stop. If more time overseas is required, this can be discussed and any approved absence possibly extended up to the maximum portability period. If they are still required overseas at the end of the maximum portability period, there is discretion to extend the period of portability under certain circumstances.

Any change to the length of an absence for an approved reason must be referred to Centrelink International Services (CIS) for further assessment and coding.

The Department of Home Affairs generally advises when a customer or child leaves or returns to Australia. The Centrelink system uses the information to assesses the portability of payments and concession cards. The assessment will happen regardless of whether the customer has told Services Australia their travel details. Note: do not cancel Department of Home Affairs datalink activities.

Where the customer gives evidence they travelled on different dates, the agency should consider using those different dates, if both the following apply:

• the new dates are logical
• the results will be a better outcome for the customer

This most often happens if a customer passes through Australian customs on one day but the flight leaves the next day.

In many cases, customers do not have to tell the agency if they are leaving Australia temporarily for less than 6 weeks, or when they have returned from a temporary absence.

When customers do need to tell us about a departure before leaving Australia or when they have returned to Australia they can use the Travelling outside of Australia service. This service is in their Centrelink online account. If the travel or portability assessment is complex the online service will ask them to contact the agency.

Services Australia website lists when customers must tell the agency they are leaving or returning to Australia. The Resources page has a link.

A secondary school student studying outside Australia is eligible for ABSTUDY if:

• the overseas education institution is equivalent to an approved education institution in Australia, and
• the overseas course is at secondary level and meets the workload provisions set down for secondary school students

Secondary school students who attend a boarding school or hostel, whose allowances are paid to the boarding institution and depart overseas for a non-approved reason, are not entitled to ABSTUDY for the period they are outside Australia. This is regardless of if they commence study within the first 3 weeks of a term. ABSTUDY is only payable for the period they are in Australia.

Prior to 1 January 2019, where the boarding school or hostel the student is attending has a no refund policy, no overpayment will be raised against the boarding school or hostel, even though the student is not eligible for ABSTUDY during the period they were outside Australia. Where the secondary student was receiving a residual payment, an overpayment may be raised for the period they are outside Australia for a non-approved reason.

If the student:

• is participating in an international educational exchange programme which is recognised by the relevant State or Territory education authority - the period of study at the overseas institution
• accompanies a parent/guardian who is employed by the Commonwealth of Australia (for example, a member of the Australian Defence Force) - the period of the overseas posting
• is studying overseas for any other reason - ABSTUDY entitlement is for a maximum of 12 months from the first date of attendance at the overseas education institution

Attendance: The normal ABSTUDY attendance provisions apply to secondary school students studying overseas.

Rate: Secondary school students may qualify for Living Allowance as independent or at the Away From Home rate and School Fees Allowance Group 2 if their circumstances overseas would meet the requirements for these rates if the student were in Australia.

A secondary non-school, tertiary or Masters and Doctorate level student studying or undertaking a work placement outside Australia is eligible for ABSTUDY if the following criteria are met:

• The student is enrolled on a full-time or concessional study load basis in an approved course at an Australian higher education institution which:
• approves the overseas study or work placement, and
• is prepared to credit the results of the work placement or study at the overseas education institution towards the approved course
• The student meets the study load requirements in respect of the approved Australian course
• A work placement (if undertaken) forms part of the student’s full-time Australian course, regardless of whether credit is given for the placement

There is no limit to the period of assistance for secondary non-school, tertiary or Masters and Doctorate students who are undertaking approved overseas study, provided they meet other eligibility and reasonable time conditions.

Rate: secondary non-school, tertiary or Masters and Doctorate students approved for ABSTUDY while studying overseas are entitled to:

• the Away From Home rate
• Fares Allowance if their circumstances overseas would entitle them to Fares Allowance if these conditions were experienced in Australia. Note: this refers to travel within the overseas country. Fares Allowance to travel between Australia and the overseas country is not available