Australia doubles foreign student visa fee in migration crackdown

SYDNEY — Australia said on July 1 it had more than doubled the visa fee for international students, the latest move by the government to rein in record migration that has intensified pressure on an already tight housing market.

As of July 1, the international student visa fee has risen to A$1,600 (S$1,446) from A$710, while visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.

"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," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

Official data released in March showed net immigration rose 60 per cent to a record 548,800 people in the year to Sept 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 (S$251) and C$150 ($149) respectively.

The government said it was also closing loopholes in visa rules that allowed foreign students to continuously extend their stay in Australia, 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 to 2023.

The latest move follows a raft of actions since late 2023 to tighten the student visa rules, as the lifting of Covid-19 curbs in 2022 boosted annual migration to record levels.

English language requirements were tightened in March, while the amount of savings international students need to get a visa was raised in May to A$29,710 from A$24,505, the second increase in about seven months.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said the government's continued policy pressure on the sector would put the country's position of strength at risk.

"This is not good for our economy or our universities, both of which rely heavily on international student fees," Sheehy said in an e-mailed response.

International education is one of Australia's largest export industries and was worth A$36.4 billion to the economy in the 2022 to 2023 financial year.

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