Australia’s new fee schedule, published overnight by Australian Migration Lawyers (6 July 2026), confirms the steepest across-the-board rises in more than a decade. Almost every visa now costs around 25 per cent more, but some categories were singled out for much sharper hikes. The offshore and on-shore partner visas (subclass 309/100 and 820/801) jump from A$9,365 to A$11,710, while the humble Bridging Visa B—needed when applicants travel during processing—soars from A$190 to A$575, a 203 per cent rise. Points-tested visas are not spared: subclass 189 and 190 each top A$6,100, piling extra pressure on skilled migrants already facing the higher income thresholds introduced on 1 July. Employer-sponsored nominations feel a double hit as the subclass 482 fee edges above A$4,000 and the CSIT salary floor rises simultaneously.
![Australian visa application charges surge—partner visa now A$11,710, BVB triples]()
Amid this steepening cost landscape, many applicants are turning to facilitators such as VisaHQ, which offers real-time fee updates, document checklists and filing support across all Australian visa classes. Its dedicated portal lets users calculate total government charges in seconds and book expert guidance, reducing the risk of applications being returned invalid.
Student visa applicants are now charged A$2,500— up from A$2,000 last year—while the Temporary Graduate visa fee, which doubled in March, has risen again to A$5,750. For New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa holders (subclass 461), the news is even grimmer: the primary applicant fee almost triples to A$1,330. Migration agents warn that combined family applications could now exceed A$4,000 before medicals, police checks or translations. The Administrative Review Tribunal has also lifted its application fee to A$3,727, meaning a refused partner-visa applicant now faces a minimum sunk cost of A$15,437 before legal representation. The Government defends the increases as necessary to fund a “secure and efficient” migration system, but critics argue the rises penalise genuine applicants and deter the very talent Australia says it needs. With fees non-refundable on refusal and review costs escalating, the financial stakes for decision-ready, professionally prepared applications have never been higher. Businesses and individuals are urged to double-check fee calculators before lodging and to factor the higher CSIT/SSIT thresholds into salary budgets. Failure to meet the new payment amounts at the time of lodgement will result in applications being returned invalid—a costly delay in the current tight labour market.
Amid this steepening cost landscape, many applicants are turning to facilitators such as VisaHQ, which offers real-time fee updates, document checklists and filing support across all Australian visa classes. Its dedicated portal lets users calculate total government charges in seconds and book expert guidance, reducing the risk of applications being returned invalid.
Student visa applicants are now charged A$2,500— up from A$2,000 last year—while the Temporary Graduate visa fee, which doubled in March, has risen again to A$5,750. For New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa holders (subclass 461), the news is even grimmer: the primary applicant fee almost triples to A$1,330. Migration agents warn that combined family applications could now exceed A$4,000 before medicals, police checks or translations. The Administrative Review Tribunal has also lifted its application fee to A$3,727, meaning a refused partner-visa applicant now faces a minimum sunk cost of A$15,437 before legal representation. The Government defends the increases as necessary to fund a “secure and efficient” migration system, but critics argue the rises penalise genuine applicants and deter the very talent Australia says it needs. With fees non-refundable on refusal and review costs escalating, the financial stakes for decision-ready, professionally prepared applications have never been higher. Businesses and individuals are urged to double-check fee calculators before lodging and to factor the higher CSIT/SSIT thresholds into salary budgets. Failure to meet the new payment amounts at the time of lodgement will result in applications being returned invalid—a costly delay in the current tight labour market.
