The move is likely to hit Indian students, who form the second-biggest cohort of international students in Australia.
Melbourne: The Australian government has significantly increased the fees for foreign students, more than doubling the cost from AUD 710 ($473) to AUD 1,600 ($1,068). The move -- effective from July 1 -- aims to curb migration that is at an all-time high and has put pressure on the housing market.
Going ahead, temporary visa holders, such as those on Temporary Graduate, Visitor, and Maritime Crew visas, will no longer be eligible to apply for a student visa while they are in Australia. The government said it is closing loopholes in visa regulations that allowed foreign students to repeatedly extend their stay in Australia, thus ensuring that only genuine students are granted visas.
“The changes coming into force... 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,” said Clare O’Neil, Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security of Australia.
This decision follows a surge of over 30 per cent in students on a second or subsequent student visa, reaching more than 150,000 in 2022–23. An Australian Bureau of Statistics data released in March showed net overseas migration was 548,800 people during the year ending September 30, 2023.
The change will impact thousands of Indian students currently residing in the country. According to government data, 100,009 Indian students were enrolled in Australian institutions in 2022. Additionally, 1.22 lakh Indian students were studying in Australia in the January-September 2023 period.
The fee increase makes applying for an Australian student visa significantly more expensive than in competitor countries like the US and Canada, where fees are approximately $185 and CAD 150 ($110), respectively, according to a Reuters report.
