Australia’s government has quietly added another 25 per cent to the cost of work visas for overseas graduates, just four months after doubling it, while fees for most student visas have risen 20 per cent.
Application costs for subclass 485 visas temporary graduate visas now start at A$5,750 (£3,000), according to the Department of Home Affairs website. The price rise, imposed on the first day of the new financial year, comes after the fees were doubled to A$4,600 on 1 March. Both increases were applied without warning or explanation.
Documents from the May federal budget show that the government expected to reap A$1.2 billion over five years from the March fee hike, suggesting the latest rise could earn it another A$300 million or so.
Most subclass 500 student visa fees have risen A$500 to A$2,500, with the cost of visas for standalone English language and “non-award” study rising to A$2,050. Foreign school students on exchange in Australia can now obtain visas for free.
The latest increases come amid predictions that that the government would introduce further measures to reduce international education student flows, as it battled political pressure over perceptions that it has allowed unbridled migration.
