A second hike in two years

This is not the first increase. Australia had already raised the student visa application fee substantially a year earlier, taking it from AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,000. With the latest revision, the fee has now climbed to AUD 2,500.

Overall, the cost of applying for an Australian student visa has risen sharply in just two years. Australia was already among the countries with the highest student visa charges. The latest increase makes studying there even more expensive before students have even booked flights or paid tuition fees.

What exactly has changed?

For most international students applying for a student visa, the application fee is now AUD 2,500. The biggest new feature, however, is that not every applicant will pay the same amount anymore.

Students enrolling in ELICOS programmes will pay a lower fee of AUD 2,050. Applicants from ASEAN countries are also eligible for this reduced rate. Meanwhile, students from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste will continue to benefit from an even lower concessional fee.

In short, while the standard visa has become costlier, Australia has introduced a separate pricing system for some categories of applicants.

What is ELICOS?

ELICOS stands for English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students.

These are specialised English language programmes designed for international students who need to improve their English before starting university, vocational education or professional training in Australia. Some students also take ELICOS simply to strengthen their language skills for work or future study.

Unlike degree programmes that may run for several years, ELICOS courses are usually much shorter. Many last only a few weeks or a few months.

That is one reason education providers have argued that asking English-language students to pay the same visa fee as someone pursuing a multi-year degree was discouraging enrolments. The new fee structure partly addresses that concern, although the visa fee for ELICOS students has still increased slightly.

What does this mean for Indian students?

For Indian students planning to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate or research programmes in Australia, the upfront cost of applying has increased again. The visa application alone now requires a higher financial commitment, in addition to tuition fees, health insurance, and living expenses.

Students planning to first enrol in an English-language pathway course, however, will pay the lower ELICOS visa fee if they qualify under the new arrangement.

The changes do not alter admission requirements or course eligibility. They mainly affect how much applicants need to pay when submitting their visa applications. For prospective students, the message is simple: studying in Australia remains an option, but it now comes with a higher cost even before classes begin.

Why did Australia increase the fee?

The Australian government says the changes are aimed at keeping the international education sector sustainable while strengthening the integrity of the student visa system.

In recent years, Australia has introduced several measures to ensure that student visas are granted to genuine applicants and to better manage the number of international students entering the country.

The visa fee increase forms part of this broader policy approach. The government has also raised charges across several other visa categories, including temporary graduate visas, skilled visas and working holiday visas.