Australian businesses woke up on 1 July to discover that almost every visa application charge (VAC) had risen by 25 per cent – the steepest across-the-board increase in more than a decade. The change, introduced by the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026, lifts the cost of a standard Skills-in-Demand (subclass 482) nomination from AUD 4,015, while the SAF levy and sponsorship fees remain unchanged.
![Visa Application Charges Jump 25 % – What Australian Employers Must Do Now]()
At this point, many employers and individuals turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance on navigating Australia’s increasingly complex visa landscape. The platform’s online tools and dedicated specialists can streamline the paperwork, flag cost changes early and suggest alternative visa routes, saving both time and money; you can explore their services here:
For a typical family sponsorship, the extra outlay can now exceed AUD 3,000 before airfares or relocation expenses are even counted. Partner and national migration-services lead Rebecca Thomson of BDO says the way the fee hike was revealed – buried in legislative instruments rather than the May Budget papers – underscores how fluid Australia’s migration settings have become. “Employers suddenly have to revisit workforce budgets mid-year, and that’s disruptive when you’re already competing globally for talent,” she warns. Beyond the headline cost increase, salary thresholds also rose on 1 July: the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) now sits at AUD 79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) at AUD 146,576. This ratchets up total sponsorship spend because nominations must meet both fee and salary floors to be approved. Businesses that routinely pay VACs on behalf of staff will face higher cash-flow hits and, in some cases, may attempt to claw back costs through employment contracts. Migration lawyers caution that recovering fees such as the SAF levy from workers is unlawful and exposes sponsors to civil penalties. Instead, employers are urged to tighten policy around cost-sharing, document any deductions clearly and ensure they do not fall foul of Fair Work rules. Strategically, the spike is expected to push more companies toward retention-driven approaches – for example, subsidising permanent-residency pathways or beefing up relocation packages – to maximise return on sponsorship investment. Experts advise HR teams to model various visa scenarios for FY 2026-27 and align workforce planning with the Government’s stated preference for “smaller, better targeted” migration. In short, higher fees are no longer a blip; they are the new normal in Australia’s more selective migration era.
At this point, many employers and individuals turn to VisaHQ for up-to-date guidance on navigating Australia’s increasingly complex visa landscape. The platform’s online tools and dedicated specialists can streamline the paperwork, flag cost changes early and suggest alternative visa routes, saving both time and money; you can explore their services here:
For a typical family sponsorship, the extra outlay can now exceed AUD 3,000 before airfares or relocation expenses are even counted. Partner and national migration-services lead Rebecca Thomson of BDO says the way the fee hike was revealed – buried in legislative instruments rather than the May Budget papers – underscores how fluid Australia’s migration settings have become. “Employers suddenly have to revisit workforce budgets mid-year, and that’s disruptive when you’re already competing globally for talent,” she warns. Beyond the headline cost increase, salary thresholds also rose on 1 July: the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) now sits at AUD 79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) at AUD 146,576. This ratchets up total sponsorship spend because nominations must meet both fee and salary floors to be approved. Businesses that routinely pay VACs on behalf of staff will face higher cash-flow hits and, in some cases, may attempt to claw back costs through employment contracts. Migration lawyers caution that recovering fees such as the SAF levy from workers is unlawful and exposes sponsors to civil penalties. Instead, employers are urged to tighten policy around cost-sharing, document any deductions clearly and ensure they do not fall foul of Fair Work rules. Strategically, the spike is expected to push more companies toward retention-driven approaches – for example, subsidising permanent-residency pathways or beefing up relocation packages – to maximise return on sponsorship investment. Experts advise HR teams to model various visa scenarios for FY 2026-27 and align workforce planning with the Government’s stated preference for “smaller, better targeted” migration. In short, higher fees are no longer a blip; they are the new normal in Australia’s more selective migration era.
