The Australian government announced an increase in visa application fees for international students wishing to study in Australia from $710 to $1,600.
Through this new increase, the Australian government aims to control immigration, coinciding with the announcement of universities in Australia to close admission for the current academic year.
Objectives of increasing visa fees for international students in Australia
For her part, Claire O'Neill, the Australian Minister of Home Affairs, confirmed that the new decisions related to increasing visa fees for international foreign students wishing to study in Australia are aimed at helping the government control immigration, in addition to alleviating pressures on the real estate market, which have multiplied significantly over the years. last few.
The impact of the new increase on current and future students in Australia
The Free Press Journal, in its report published today, reported the opinions of international foreign students in Australia regarding the increase in student visa fees in Australia.
The students revealed in the published report that enrolling at the University of Australia and studying in general in Australia now has become a very difficult matter, stressing that increasing visa fees in this way, which is close to doubling the previous amount, will only lead to an increase in the burden on the students.
International students in Australia stressed that studying in general in Australia now constitutes a major challenge in itself, and that the increase in visa fees constitutes a major problem. The students described that these decisions aim to exclude all fake or unworthy applicants from the application process. .
International students still prefer Australia to study
Despite the recent decisions from the Australian government regarding the fees for international students in Australia, Avi Veravalli from the Star Alliance for Global Education, which deals with immigration issues, confirmed that international students still prefer Australia, especially in areas such as cyber security, business analytics, Hospitality, and various fields of engineering. Australia's reputation remains strong."
Increased net migration to Australia
It is worth noting that the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed in a previous report that net imigration to Australia rose by 60% to a record level of 548,800 people in the year ending in September 2023.
Accordingly, the Australian government has taken many decisions recently to limit the number of immigrants, which constitute new restrictions on international students, including the cost of student visas, making Australia currently the most expensive country for international students to study compared to places such as the United States and Canada, where it is Visa costs about $185 and $110 respectively.
Tightening English language proficiency standards for student visas in Australia
It is also worth noting that, late last year 2023, the Australian government took several strict measures and restrictions on international foreign students in Australia, as part of its new educational plan, by tightening the English language proficiency standards for graduate and temporary student visas, as well as creating a new visa specifically for people. Those with the required talent.
