The cost of an international student's visa in Australia has increased from $710 to $1,600, which is more than twice as much from July 1.
Visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas are banned from applying onshore for a student visa.
The federal government announced that increased revenue will assist in funding education-related activities, such as graduate debt reduction, apprenticeship funding, and the execution of its migration policy.
“The changes coming into force from July 1 will help restore integrity to our international education system and create a migration system that is fairer, smaller, and better able to deliver for Australia," said Clare O'Neil, the Home Affairs Minister of Australia.
Official data released in March showed net immigration rose 60% to a record 548,800 people in the year to September 30, 2023.
The government said it was also closing loopholes in visa rules that allowed foreign students to continuously extend their stay in Australia after the number of students on a second or subsequent student visa spiked by over 30% to more than 150,000 in 2022–23.
The decision will affect thousands of Indians who are going to study there. Student representatives are infuriated over the move, claiming that it will lead prospective students to competitors.
According to the High Commission of India in Canberra, the estimated number of Indian students enrolled in Australia as of August 2023 is 1.2 lakh, making Indian students the second largest cohort of foreign students.
