SYDNEY: In a bid to limit record migration, the Australian government has doubled its visa fee for international students, increasing it by a significant 125%.
The international visa fee has increased from AU$710 to AU$1,600, effective July 1 (today). Meanwhile, visitor visa holders and students on temporary postgraduate visas are prohibited from applying for a student visa in the country.
“The changes coming into effect today will help restore the integrity of our international education system and create a migration system that is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.
Official data published in March showed net immigration rose by 60% to a record 548,800 people in the year to September 30, 2023.
The increased fees make applying for a student visa for Australia much more expensive than in competing countries such as the United States and Canada, where they cost around $185 and $150 Canadian ($110), respectively.
The government said it was also closing loopholes in visa rules that allowed foreign students to continually extend their stay in Australia, after the number of students on a second or subsequent student visa increased by more than 30% to more than 150,000 in 2022-23.
The latest move follows a series of moves since late last year to tighten student visa rules, as the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 boosted annual migration to record levels.
English language requirements were tightened in March, while the savings amount international students need to obtain a visa was raised in May to A$29,710 (US$19,823) from A$24,505, the second increase in about seven months.
Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said continued government political pressure on the sector would put the country's position of strength at risk.
“This is not good for our economy or our universities, which rely heavily on international student fees,” Sheehy said in an emailed response.
International education is one of Australia's largest export industries, contributing A$36.4 billion to the economy in the 2022-23 financial year.
