The Australian government is taking steps to control record immigration levels, which have intensified pressure on an already tight housing market. The country has more than doubled its visa fee for international students.
Starting today, the international student visa fee has risen to A$1,600 (HK$8,330) from A$710. Visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in a statement: “The changes coming into force today will help restore integrity to our international education system, and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia.”
Official data released in March showed net immigration rose 60 per cent to a record 548,800 people in the year to September 30, 2023.
The rise in fees makes applying for a student visa for Australia far more expensive than in competing countries like the US and Canada, where they cost about US$185 and C$150 (HK$856) respectively.
The government said it was also closing loopholes in visa rules that allowed foreign students to continuously extend their stay in Australia. This move comes after the number of students on a second or subsequent student visa spiked by over 30 per cent to more than 150,000 in 2022–23.
The move is likely to hit Indian students, who form the second-biggest cohort of international students in Australia.
According to government data, a significant number of Indian students—100,009 in 2022—were enrolled in Australian institutions.
Additionally, 1.22 lakh Indian students were studying in Australia in the January-September 2023 period.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
