Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Headlines

Australia's ruling party to hike student visa fees again in pre-election pledge

Published by Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on April 28, 2025

Featured image for article about Headlines

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's ruling Labor Party said on Monday it would raise visa fees for international students to A$2,000 ($1,279) if reelected, the latest measure aimed at the lucrative education sector that has been a major source of immigration.

The visa fee hike, from A$1,600 currently, will bring in A$760 million over the next four years, Australia's Treasurer Jim Chalmers and finance minister Katy Gallagher said in a statement on Labor's policy costings for Saturday's federal election.

"We think that's a sensible measure that really prizes, I think, the value of studying here in Australia," Gallagher told a news conference.

The government more than doubled the fee for international student visas in July last year to A$1,600 from A$710.

Australia's conservative opposition has already pledged to raise the visa fee to a minimum of A$2,500, and A$5,000 for applicants to the country's top universities, known as the Group of Eight.

International students are a major source of revenue for Australian universities, but are also in part responsible for a rise in net migration that has driven up housing costs.

Almost 200,000 international students arrived in Australia in February 2025, government statistics show, an increase of 12.1% over the previous year and 7.3% higher than pre-COVID levels in February 2019.

Labor has promised to cap international student commencements at 270,000 in 2025, while the opposition favours a lower figure of 240,000.

There were more than a million international students enrolled in Australia in 2024, while 572,000 students commenced their studies.

Visa fees for students in Australia are already significantly higher than similar countries such as the U.S. and Canada, where they cost about $185 and C$150 ($108) respectively.

The government last year also tightened English language requirements for student and graduate visas, as well as introducing powers to suspend education providers from recruiting international students if they repeatedly break rules.

($1 = 1.5632 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)