SYDNEY: Australia stated on Monday (Jul 1) it had greater than doubled the visa payment for worldwide college students, the newest transfer by the federal government to rein in document migration that has intensified strain on an already tight housing market.
From Jul 1, the worldwide scholar visa payment has risen to A$1,600 (US$1,068) from A$710, whereas customer visa holders and college students with non permanent graduate visas are banned from making use of onshore for a scholar visa.
“The modifications coming into power at present will assist restore integrity to our worldwide schooling system, and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and higher capable of ship for Australia,” Dwelling Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil stated in a press release.
Official information launched in March confirmed web immigration rose 60 per cent to a document 548,800 individuals within the 12 months to Sep 30, 2023.
The rise in charges makes making use of for a scholar visa for Australia far dearer than in competing international locations just like the US and Canada, the place they price about US$185 and US$110 respectively.
The federal government stated it was additionally closing loopholes in visa rules that allowed international college students to constantly prolong their keep in Australia, after the variety of college students on a second or subsequent scholar visa spiked by over 30 per cent to greater than 150,000 in 2022-23.