Australia doubled fees for student visas

Australia doubled fees for student visas amid efforts to slow immigration, drawing ire from international student representatives.

The Australian federal government increased the fee for a visa student application to roughly $1,064, which is up from the previous total of about $472.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government said the increase would fund various initiatives, including financial support for apprenticeships and efforts to reduce the debt for graduates.

The visa increase is also part of Australia’s efforts to slow down migration, which reached a peak post-COVID-19 of 528,000 in the 2022-23 academic year.