He is not alone in his frustration. A petition<\/a> opposing the \u201cextraordinary\u201d increase of the resident return visa fee has attracted more than 30,000 signatures, describing it as \u201cexcessive, disproportionate and unfair\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI pay tax here, I work here, I live here \u2013 and you still charge me like I\u2019m a stranger begging at the border,\u201d one signatory wrote. \u201cGoing to the Netherlands to see my family will be not possible anymore due to the political gameplay of the Australian government,\u201d another wrote. \u201cFor me it is not a game, this is my life.\u201d<\/p>\n How expensive are student visa fees?<\/p>\n International student visa fees in Australia have been cemented as the most expensive in the world<\/a> for graduates hoping to stay onshore after completing their studies.<\/p>\n On 1 March, the federal government doubled non-refundable application fees for temporary graduate visas (485) from $2,300 to $4,600, criticised at the time as a \u201cmassive breach of trust\u201d.<\/p>\n Then, on 1 July, the 485 visa increased again, to $5,750 \u2013 more than double what it was six months ago. The student visa application charge also increased from $2,000 to $2,500. It follows another rise in 2024 when the international student visa application fee more than doubled<\/a> from $710 to $1,600.<\/p>\n The fees are more than triple that of comparative study destinations, including the UK, US, New Zealand and Canada.<\/p>\n How have students reacted?<\/p>\n The International Students Representative Council of Australia (ISRC) says prospective students should carefully consider studying in Australia after the sharp visa hike.<\/p>\n Its president, Weihong Liang, says it was not an \u201cisolated change\u201d but part of a broader pattern of \u201cincreasingly restrictive, unpredictable and poorly communicated policy changes\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cInternational students are increasingly being treated not as valued members of Australian campuses and communities, but as a source of government revenue<\/a>,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cTo students around the world considering Australia, our message is clear: carefully assess the increasing policy uncertainty surrounding Australia\u2019s international education system before choosing Australia as your study destination.\u201d<\/p>\n One student, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, describes it as a \u201ckick in the teeth\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAre international students just official ATMs for the government at this point?\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a>Free newsletter | When needed<\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The ethnocultural officer at the National Union of Students, Syed Taqi Abbas Razvi, says he felt \u201cdevastated\u201d and \u201chopeless\u201d when he learned of the increase. Razvi is in his final year of a science degree after arriving in Australia from Pakistan during the pandemic, and was planning to apply for a 485 visa in a matter of months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s extremely shocking,\u201d he says. \u201cInternational students don\u2019t feel supported. With the constant visa fee increases, it\u2019s getting unaffordable for not just myself, but most international students to even consider coming here.<\/p>\n \u201cI set up my life here, I have friends here. But at the moment \u2026 who knows what\u2019s going to happen before my visa expires in September.\u201d<\/p>\n What about the business sector?<\/p>\n The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned that rising visa costs will make Australia less attractive to skilled workers by sending a \u201cpoor signal\u201d to the global market. Skilled independent visas rose 25% from $4,910 to $6,140 on 1 July, while partner visas were also hiked by 25% ($9,365 to $11,710).<\/p>\n \u201cHigher visa costs will make Australia a harder sell for visitors, which will have significant impacts on tourism operators and education providers,\u201d its CEO, Andrew McKellar, says.<\/p>\n \u201cSneaking in major changes that carry drastic consequences is a poor way to treat the business community. The government cannot keep asking businesses to lift productivity while making it increasingly difficult to be productive.\u201d<\/p>\n The chief executive of Universities Australia, Luke Sheehy, agrees. He says governments have encouraged universities to build the international student sector for years but are now \u201cdismantling it, one decision at a time\u201d.<\/p>\n The fee hike came on top of \u201chigher visa refusal rates, policy uncertainty and a series of decisions that have made Australia a less attractive destination\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cumulative effect is clear. Australia is becoming a harder sell, and the sector\u2019s slow nosedive continues.\u201d<\/p>\n Why were the fee hikes announced?<\/p>\n The federal government reviews visa application charges at the beginning of the new financial year, and typically increases prices marginally. But it has not formally justified why the fees jumped in excess of inflation.<\/p>\n The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia a visa to live, work or study in Australia \u201cis underpriced at any cost\u201d and remains a \u201csmall fraction\u201d of the average fees international students paid to study in Australia.<\/p>\n It fits within Labor\u2019s broader attempt to manage migration growth, particularly in the international student sector, which it has maintained is too high after the pandemic<\/a> and subject to \u201cdodgy players\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n The federal government has confirmed it will cap international student places at 295,000 in 2027 \u2013 8% below the immediate post-Covid peak.<\/p>\n The education minister, Jason Clare, said: \u201cInternational education is an incredibly important export industry for Australia, but we need to manage it sustainably.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about making sure international education supports students, universities and the national interest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The federal government has been accused of exploiting international students and permanent residents after non-refundable visa fees were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-796065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=796065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=796065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=796065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=796065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2998.jpg\")
<\/p>\n