Robert Besser
02 May 2025, 11:21 GMT+10
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia's ruling Labor Party says it will raise the fee for international student visas to A$2,000 (US$1,279) if it wins the upcoming federal election.
Right now, the visa costs A$1,600. The higher fee is expected to bring in A$760 million over four years, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Gallagher said the change makes sense and shows that studying in Australia is still valuable. The government already increased the visa fee from A$710 to A$1,600 last year.
Australia's opposition party also wants to raise the fee — even higher. They plan to charge at least A$2,500 for most students and up to A$5,000 for those going to top universities, known as the Group of Eight.
International students bring in a lot of money for Australian universities, but they are also part of the reason why immigration numbers are rising, which has pushed up housing costs.
In February 2025, nearly 200,000 international students arrived in Australia — up 12 percent from last year and seven percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labor wants to limit new international student enrollments to 270,000 in 2025, while the opposition wants a lower limit of 240,000. In 2024, more than a million international students were enrolled, and 572,000 started new courses.
Student visa fees in Australia are already much higher than in countries like the U.S. (about US$185) and Canada (about C$150 or US$108). The government has also made English language rules stricter and can now block schools from enrolling international students if they break the rules too often.
Get a daily dose of Los Angeles Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Los Angeles Herald.
More InformationSYDNEY, Australia: Australia's ruling Labor Party says it will raise the fee for international student visas to A$2,000 (US$1,279)...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump said over the weekend that American military and business ships should be able to travel...
SINGAPORE: Singapore has ordered Facebook's parent company, Meta, to block Singaporeans from seeing posts made by three foreigners...
DES MOINES, Iowa: Iowa's governor has launched a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register, seeking to block the newspaper from obtaining...
DETROIT, Michigan: A former top official at a major Detroit nonprofit was sentenced this week to 19 years in prison for stealing over...
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: Thousands of people are gathering in New Mexico for a big event that celebrates Native American and Indigenous...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: San Francisco is taking steps to change how it handles drug use. After Some people say focusing on quitting...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: This week, U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed open to letting fuel companies challenge California's strict vehicle...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration announced this week that it will create a fast-track approval process for energy and mining...
(250501) -- LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Demonstrators rally in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 1 (ANI): Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, stated on...
Photo taken with a mobile phone on Feb. 10, 2025 shows a customer shopping for eggs at a Costco store in Azusa, Los Angeles County,...