Australia Raises Foreign Student Visa Fees Amid Migration Control Efforts

Illustration Sydney, Australia. (Wikimedia Commons/Pavel)

JAKARTA - Australian authorities said on Monday the country had raised visa costs for international students, the latest move by the government to control record-breaking migration, causing increased pressure on the already stringent housing market.

Starting July 1, international student visa costs have risen to USD 1,600 (IDR 17,474,471) from USD 710 (IDR 7,754,296)

Meanwhile, visitor and student visa holders with temporary postgraduate visas are prohibited from applying for student visas in the country.

"The changes that take effect today (yesterday 0 will help restore the integrity of our international education system, and create a more equitable, smaller, and more capable migration system for Australia," Interior Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

Official data released in March showed immigration figures had increased by 60 percent, setting a record 548,800 people from September 30, 2023.

The increase in costs of making student visa applications for Australia is much more expensive than in competing countries such as the United States and Canada, which cost around 185 US dollars and 150 Canadian dollars, respectively.

The government said it was also closing loopholes in visa rules that allow foreign students to continue extending their stay in Australia, after the number of students with second or subsequent student visas jumped more than 30 percent to more than 150,000 by 202223.

This latest move follows a series of measures since late last year, to tighten student visa rules due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 driving annual migration to record levels.

Earlier, English requirements were tightened in March, while the amount of savings international students needed to get visas was raised in May to USD 29.710 from USD 24.505, the second increase in about seven months.

Separately, Australia's Universities CEO Luke Sheehy said the ongoing government's policy pressure on the sector would jeopardize the country's power position.

"This is not good for our economy or university, both of which rely heavily on international student costs," Sheehy said in an emailed response.

It is known, international education is one of Australia's largest export industries and is worth USD 36.4 billion for the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.