From 1 July, the international student visa fee has risen to A$1,600 from A$710, while visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.
Official data released in March showed net immigration rose 60% to a record 548,800 people in the year to 30 September 2023. 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% to more than 150,000 in 2022–23.
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.