Welcome Festival at The University of Sydney for students to return and start a new semester, Feb 17, 2022. SYDNEY: Australia said on Monday 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.
"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. 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 and US$110 respectively.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 2022-23.