Australia’s new financial year has opened with a comprehensive rewrite of the visa application charge (VAC) schedule. From 1 July 2026, fees for almost every temporary and permanent visa subclass rose—many of them by double-digit percentages. The headline increases include Working Holiday visas jumping to AUD 840 for first-time applicants, Skilled Independent (subclass 189) applications now costing AUD 6,135, and Partner visas leaping to AUD 11,710 for the primary applicant. The Department of Home Affairs also codified a new discounted fee tier for eligible Pacific-regional country passport holders. The fee overhaul accompanies the annual indexation of skilled-migration salary thresholds.
![Australian visa application fees surge across every subclass as new financial year begins]()
VisaHQ’s Australia desk can help applicants and sponsoring employers stay ahead of these changes. Through its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), VisaHQ provides real-time fee calculators, document checklists, and expert support to streamline the lodgement process and minimise costly mistakes.
Employer nominations under the Skills-in-Demand (subclass 482) visa must now offer at least AUD 79,423—the new Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). Businesses sponsoring foreign talent have been warned that nominations lodged even one day late will be assessed under the higher threshold. For international students, the cost of a Student visa (subclass 500) has risen from AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,500, the second significant hike in 15 months. Education providers and agents expect the steeper price to slow application volumes and intensify competition for genuinely-committed students. Migration agents report a last-minute rush of lodgements on 30 June as applicants tried to beat the deadline. Those who missed out now face materially higher out-of-pocket costs and, in some cases, higher minimum salary requirements. Employers are being urged to review mobility budgets and start forecasting for the next indexation round on 1 July 2027.
VisaHQ’s Australia desk can help applicants and sponsoring employers stay ahead of these changes. Through its online portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), VisaHQ provides real-time fee calculators, document checklists, and expert support to streamline the lodgement process and minimise costly mistakes.
Employer nominations under the Skills-in-Demand (subclass 482) visa must now offer at least AUD 79,423—the new Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT). Businesses sponsoring foreign talent have been warned that nominations lodged even one day late will be assessed under the higher threshold. For international students, the cost of a Student visa (subclass 500) has risen from AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,500, the second significant hike in 15 months. Education providers and agents expect the steeper price to slow application volumes and intensify competition for genuinely-committed students. Migration agents report a last-minute rush of lodgements on 30 June as applicants tried to beat the deadline. Those who missed out now face materially higher out-of-pocket costs and, in some cases, higher minimum salary requirements. Employers are being urged to review mobility budgets and start forecasting for the next indexation round on 1 July 2027.
