The Australian government has announced a significant increase in application fees for certain post-study visas. However, this fee hike will not affect applicants from Pacific countries or Timor-Leste.

The 485 graduate visa, a post-higher education visa, permits international graduates to remain and work in Australia for up to two years after completing their studies.

This visa is divided into three streams, categorized by the graduates’ degrees and the locations of their universities. Graduates in high-demand fields may qualify for a visa longer than the typical two-year duration.

This past weekend, the federal authorities revealed that starting March 1, the application fee for two streams of the 485 graduate visa will rise from $2,300 to $4,600.

Fees for secondary applicants, such as family members, will also see a rise, with costs doubling to $2,300 for adults and $1,160 for those under 18.

For those opting to live in regional areas, the fees are less than half but have still increased by 50%.

An international students advocate has strongly criticised the jump in fees, saying the government is using visa applicants as a “cash cow”.

In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said Australia offers “generous post-study work rights” for visa holders and their families.

They said the new visa fee change would exempt eligible Pacific country and Timor-Leste passport holders “to recognise Australia’s special ties with the region”.

“Temporary Graduate visa holders have access to unlimited work rights and are able to use their Australian qualifications to access graduate work opportunities and progress their careers in Australia or overseas.

“Highly qualified graduates no longer wishing to apply for a Temporary Graduate visa continue to have access to other migration pathways should they meet eligibility requirements.”

The government has announced several other changes to visas affecting international students this year.

What are the other new changes?

In January, the government announced changes to the National Code for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students, banning providers from paying education agent commissions for recruiting students who had already begun their study with another provider.

In February, the government also passed an amendment giving the Administrative Review Tribunal more power to handle student visa refusal appeals solely through written submissions and not in-person hearings.

An early February statement from Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the reforms were designed to make the tribunal more efficient, recognising that “oral hearings are time and resource intensive”.

Besides the two major announcements, prospective international students are also subjected to a ban on visa-hopping — namely, when people with visitor visas or 485 graduate visas apply for student visas while onshore.

Student visa application fees have also risen from $1,600 to $2,000.

During the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook released in December, the government estimated the increased international student visa fees could create $185 million in revenue.

‘Used as a cash cow for no good reason’

Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, told SBS News the sector is “very upset” about the abrupt decision.

“Clearly, the Albanese government is looking at international education as another way to help their budget bottom line,” Honeywood said.

“And we are very upset that once again, international students are being used as a cash cow for no good reason.”

Honeywood also criticised the government for making the announcement just two weeks before 15 March, when the student visas of many international students who graduated in December 2025 will expire.

“[These students] have been promised this option for 485 visa when they came here three or four years ago, and now to be told they have to pay double.”

Warning of exacerbating skill shortages

With the sudden increase of 485 graduate visa fees, Honeywood said it could discourage prospective international students who plan to study majors in high-demand fields — such as those in allied health and STEM — from choosing Australia as an education destination.

STEM is a widely used acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The 485 graduate visa is also often an attractive option for international students — whose tuition fees are much higher than those of domestic students — to pay back loans taken out in their home country to fund their study in Australia, Honeywood added.

Honeywood said he would be meeting with the Education Minister Jason Clare and the Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill on Wednesday to voice the sector’s concerns and call for international student application fees to be lowered.

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