Australia’s government has quietly added another 25 per cent to the cost of work visas for overseas graduates, just four months after doubling it, while fees for most student visas have risen 20 per cent.

Application costs for subclass 485 visas temporary graduate visas now start at A$5,750 (£3,000), according to the Department of ����Vlog Affairs . The price rise, imposed on the first day of the new financial year, comes after the fees were doubled to A$4,600 on 1 March. Both increases were applied without warning or explanation.

Documents from the May federal budget show that the government expected to reap A$1.2 billion over five years from the March fee hike, suggesting the latest rise could earn it another A$300 million or so.

Most subclass 500 student visa fees have , with the cost of visas for standalone English language and “non-award” study rising to A$2,050. Foreign school students on exchange in Australia can now obtain visas for free.

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The latest increases come amid predictions that that the government would introduce further measures to reduce international education student flows, as it battled political pressure over perceptions that it has allowed unbridled migration.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (Capa) said the increases to post-study work visa costs were wrongheaded. “This is a fee on the exit door, not the front door,” said Capa president Jesse Gardner-Russell. “If the aim is to manage who comes in, charging the people already on their way out is the wrong instrument.

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“The only thing a higher 485 fee reliably manages is revenue. International students are not just another resource to be mined, their value extracted and then shipped offshore, like iron ore. They are a critical component of Australia’s global soft-power and part of our multicultural community.”

The price hikes have emerged on the day numerous measures kicked in in to relieve cost pressures on Australians. They include a , an extension to a and new rules to prevent .

The fee hikes stand in stark contrast to in the latter stages of the coronavirus pandemic, when businesses were desperate for more staff. The former conservative government removed all working hour limits on international students – a situation that prevailed for over a year after the current Labor government won power.

Education minister Jason Clare initially advocated for more international students to remain in Australia and “help us fill some of those chronic skills gaps in our economy”, before the political tide turned against international students amid concerns over housing availability.

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Capa vice-president Richard Lee said the fee hikes would discourage overseas graduates from contributing to the Australian workforce. “Every increase in the cost of staying, delivered without warning, tells the best graduates that Australia is an unpredictable place to build a future.”

In a Senate debate on 22 June, the Australian Greens attempted to disallow the “disgraceful” earlier fee hike for post-study work visas. “[It] sends a clear message that international students are not welcome here,” warned deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi.

“Graduates already face enormous degree fees and are suffering under the cost-of-living crisis like everyone else. Before this latest doubling of visa fees, it was already the most expensive post-study work visa in the world.”

The motion was voted down by the government, opposition and One Nation. “Visa settings should reflect the cost of administering the system, the value of the rights conferred and the broader set of pressures that the current migration program is exerting on housing, infrastructure, services and the labour market,” said deputy opposition whip Kerrynne Liddle.

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“Temporary graduate visas provide significant work rights and must be priced reasonably and responsibly.”

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com