International students say they are feeling like “ATM” after the federal government quietly doubled application fees for temporary postgraduate visas, making Australia fees the most expensive in the world for graduates hoping to stay in the country after completing their studies.
The non-refundable visa fee rose from $2,300 to $4,600 without warning on Sunday, putting Australia well above competitors such as New Zealand ($1,406), Canada ($262), the United Kingdom ($1,665) and the United States ($661).
The increase, with immediate effect, does not apply to eligible citizens of the Pacific Islands and East Timor or students who studied in regional areas.
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The temporary postgraduate visa allows international students who have completed eligible qualifications at Australian institutions to live and work full-time in the country after their studies.
Jimmy, who did not want his surname used, is one of thousands of graduates whose student visa will expire on March 15 after completing their studies in December.
The engineering graduate from a prestigious Australian university said he was “devastated” to log on to the Home Affairs website and discover visa application costs had suddenly doubled with no transitional grace period for pre-existing students.
“It sets a dangerous precedent in which the government can evade justice at will to the detriment of vulnerable groups,” he said. “Treating us like an ATM at the last minute is… a huge breach of trust that seriously damages Australia’s international reputation.”
National Union of Students (NUS) international officer Ariya Masud said the decision to increase the visa application fee without consulting students meant many graduate students were unsure whether they could afford to stay in Australia.
“Being surprised by the country that more than 800,000 current students have called home for years sends a clear message to international students about their position in Australian society,” he said.
“(We are) considered ATMs to channel a multi-billion dollar industry rather than human beings being forced to abandon the lives and careers they have built here.”
A Department of the Interior spokesperson said information about the visa application increase was provided on March 1 through its website.
They said Australia continued to offer “generous” post-study employment rights and that highly skilled graduates who no longer wanted to apply for a temporary postgraduate visa “continue to have access to other immigration pathways”.
The changes are the latest in a series of Commonwealth reforms to the international student sector.
In mid-2024, Home Affairs more than doubled the price of the non-refundable visa fee for overnight international students, from $710 to $1,600. At the same time, the federal government lowered the age of eligibility for people on temporary postgraduate visas to 35 and shortened the time holders could stay in Australia to a maximum of three years (previously six).
The data showed that the crackdown was having an impact. The number of temporary graduate visas granted fell 33% in the year to January 31, with just 84,354 offers compared to 126,348 in 2024-2025.
There was a 43% decrease in the number of student visas granted in the same period (208,156 compared to 371,564).
Greens deputy leader and higher education spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi said Labor was in a “race to the bottom on migration with One Nation and the Liberals” and that raising fees would “demonise and exploit” international students.
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (Capa) national president Jesse Gardner-Russell said the Australian labor market was already exclusionary for temporary migrants trying to transition into skilled work, with many employers requiring permanent residency for postgraduate positions.
It is the third time the federal government has increased the temporary visa application fee for graduates since February last year.
“Doubling the cost of your ticket to play… means that those who have already integrated into Australian society and want to contribute to the growth of our economy will not be able to participate,” Gardner-Russell said.
“These rules must be reversed.”
Education Minister Jason Clare has been contacted for comment.
