Australia’s Labour Party Promises Additional Rise in International Student Visa Fees if Re-elected

If elected, Australia’s Labour Party would increase the current A$1,600 price for overseas student visas to A$2,000.

Australia’s ruling Labour Party said Monday that, if re-elected, it would increase international student visa costs to A$2,000 ($1,279) as part of new policies aimed at the lucrative education industry, which has been a major source of immigration.

In a statement presenting Labor’s policy costings ahead of Saturday’s federal election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the planned fee increases, which would increase fees from the current A$1,600 to A$760 million over the next four years.

Gallagher told reporters during a press conference, “We think that’s a sensible measure that really prizes the value of studying here in Australia.”

The international student visa price has already more than doubled by the government last July, going from A$710 to A$1,600.

However, even more drastic rises have been promised by Australia’s conservative opposition, which aims to charge applicants to the prestigious Group of Eight universities up to A$5,000 and a minimum price of A$2,500 for student visas.

While international students are a major source of income for Australian institutions, they have also exacerbated the country’s housing affordability problems by contributing to a spike in net migration. 

According to official figures, around 200,000 international students came in Australia in February 2025, 13.1% more than the previous year and 7.3% more than the pre-pandemic levels in February 2019.

An even lower restriction of 240,000 is proposed by the opposition, while Labour has committed to capping international student commencements at 270,000 for 2025 in response to mounting concerns.

In 2024, over a million foreign students were enrolled in Australian universities, with 572,000 of them starting new courses. Australia already has far higher visa costs than other popular countries, with US visas costing approximately $185 and Canadian visas costing $150 ($108), despite the country’s popularity among international students.

In addition, the Australian government this year strengthened English language proficiency standards for graduate and student visas and added new regulatory authority that permits authorities to suspend educational institutions that are consistently in violation of foreign student recruitment regulations.