The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Australia doubles visa fee for foreign students
IN A move that could impact prospective Indian students, Australiahasannouncedthedoubling of student visa fees for internationalstudentsfrom$473(aud 710) to $1,068 (AUD 1,600) with effect from Monday and also barred various categories of temporary visa holders to apply for a studentvisafromwithinaustralia.
“The changes will help restore integrity to our international education system, and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia,” said Clare O’neil, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Monday. Australia has also made changes to the savings requirement for students, by increasing the minimum savings needed for a student visa from AUD 24,505 ($16,146)TOAUD29,710($19,576).
Those on Temporary Graduate, Visitor, and Maritime Crew visas, will no longer be eligible to apply for a student visa while they are in Australia, a decision which is expected to hit
Indian students, the secondlargest community among international students in the country.
Officialdatareleasedinmarch by the Australian Bureau of Statisticsshowednetoverseasmigrationwasat548,800duringthe year ending September 30, 2023. Australia recorded more than a lakh Indian students in 2022, while in this year, between Januaryandseptember,thenumber has already crossed 1.2 lakh.
Australia has traditionally been among the top five destinations for Indian students seeking to study abroad, besides the
US, UK and Canada. Amid strained ties between India and Canada since last year, and with the UK bringing in stricter immigration rules, Australia emerged as the preferred destination. After the hike in fees, an Australian student visa has become more expensive than that of the US and Canada, which are currently under $200.
According to the latest Indian Student Mobility Report 2023 by Global Education Conclave, around 1.3 million Indian students are studying abroad with thenumberincreasingeveryyear.