Australia’s Labor Party announced on Monday that if they are reelected, they will increase the visa fees for international students to A$2,000 (about $1,279). This change aims to boost income from the education sector, which is important for Australia. Currently, the fee is A$1,600 and this increase could bring in A$760 million over four years, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Gallagher called this a smart move that shows how much value Australia places on education. Last July, the government had already raised the visa fee from A$710 to A$1,600.
The opposition party plans to increase the fee even more—up to A$2,500 or even A$5,000 for students applying to top universities, known as the Group of Eight.
International students help make money for Australian universities but they also contribute to a rise in the population, which is causing housing prices to go up. In February 2025, almost 200,000 international students arrived in Australia, which is a 12.1% increase from the previous year and 7.3% more than before COVID-19 in February 2019.
The Labor Party wants to limit the number of new international students to 270,000 in 2025, while the opposition suggests a lower number of 240,000. Currently, more than one million international students are studying in Australia, with 572,000 starting their courses last year.
Visa fees in Australia are already higher than those in countries like the U.S. and Canada, where the fees are around $185 and C$150 (about $108) respectively. The government has also made it tougher for students to get visas by increasing English requirements and has the power to stop schools from recruiting international students if they break the rules too often.
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