Starting today, July 1, 2024, international students applying for a visa in Australia will face a double fee increase as the government decided to raise them to €1,600 from €710.
The move aims to curb migration at an all-time high and has put pressure on the housing market. It is also likely to hit Indian students, who form Australia’s second-biggest cohort of international students, VisaGuide.World reports.
International education is one of Australia’s largest export industries, worth A$36.4 billion to the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.
Australia Now Leads as Most Expensive Country to Issue a Student Visa After US & Canada
The rise in fees makes applying for a student visa for Australia far more expensive than in competing countries like the United States and Canada, which cost about US$185 and C$150 (US$110), respectively.
However, visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.
The changes coming into force today will help restore integrity to our international education system and create a migration system that is fairer, smaller, and better able to deliver for Australia.
Australia to Increase Visa Fees up to 270.51% for Each Accompanying Applicant Aged 18 & Over
In addition to the increased fee for lead applicants, the Australian government will now also charge $1,445 for each accompanying applicant aged 18 and over. Regarding accompanying family members under 18, they will be charged US$390.
As the sector waits to determine whether a fee increase will be part of the budget, it is adjusting to the announcement that the government has increased the minimum funding requirements for international students applying for an Australian study visa – the second increase in less than a year.
As of May 10, 2024, top applicants must show funds of at least US$29,710 (US$19,537), representing a 21 percent increase from the previous amount of US$24,505. By comparison, the new requirement is about $5,000 higher than what students must show on a Canadian study permit application.
In this regard, the Australian government says the new minimum funding threshold matches a proportion – 75 percent – of the national minimum wage. According to official data released in March of this year, net immigration increased 60 percent to a record 548,800 people in the year to September 30, 2023.
The government announced closing loopholes in visa regulations that allowed international students to overstay their stay in Australia repeatedly. Such a decision came due to an increase of over 30 percent of students on a second or subsequent student visa, reaching more than 150,000 in 2022–2023.