In a move that could impact prospective Indian students, Australia has announced the doubling of student visa fees for international students from $473 (AUD 710) to $1,068 (AUD 1,600) with effect from Monday, July 1 and also barred various categories of temporary visa holders to apply for a student visa from within Australia. “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, Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security of Australia on Monday. The Australian government has also made changes to the savings requirement for student visas, by increasing the minimum savings needed for a student visa from AUD 24,505 ($16,146) to AUD 29,710 ($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 second-largest community among international students in the country. Official data released in March by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed net overseas migration was at 548,800 during the year ending September 30, 2023. As per records, Australia recorded more than a lakh Indian students in 2022, while in this year, between January and September, the number has already crossed 1.2 lakh. Australia has been traditionally 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 Rishi Sunak government in the UK bringing in stricter immigration rules, Australia emerged as the preferred destination. Now, 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 in 2023 with the number of Indian students heading abroad for higher studies increasing every year.
