Australia said on Monday it would more than double visa fees for international students, the latest move by the government to rein in record immigration that is adding to pressure on an already tight housing market.
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Australia said on Monday it would more than double visa fees for international students, the latest move by the government to rein in record immigration that is adding to pressure on an already tight housing market.
From July 1, the fee for an international student visa will rise from A$710 to A$1,600 (US$1,068), while visitor visa holders and students holding temporary graduate visas will be prohibited from applying for student visas onshore.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neill said in a statement: “The changes that come into effect today will help restore the integrity of our international education system and create a fairer, smaller immigration system that better serves Australia.
Official figures released in March showed net migration rose 60% to a record 548,800 in the year to 30 September 2023.
The rising fees make applying for an Australian student visa much more expensive than in competing countries such as the United States and Canada, which charge around $185 and 150 Canadian dollars ($110) respectively.
The government says it is also blocking visa rules that allow foreign students to keep extending their stay in Australia after the number of students holding second or subsequent student visas surged by more than 30 per cent to more than 150,000 in 2022-23. loopholes.
A series of actions have been taken to tighten student visa rules since the end of last year as annual immigration numbers reach record levels as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in 2022.
English language requirements were tightened in March, while the amount of savings required for international students to obtain a visa increased from $24,505 to $29,710 in May, the second increase in seven months.
Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said the government’s continued policy pressure on the industry would put the country’s dominant position at risk.
“This is not good for our economy or our universities, both of which rely heavily on international student tuition,” Sheehy said in an email response.
International education is one of Australia’s largest export industries, creating a value of A$36.4 billion to the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.
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