By Alimat Aliyeva

The Australian government announced today that it will double the cost of visas for international students as a last resort to stop record migration, which is putting a strain on the housing market. The move followed a series of measures to tighten student visa rules since the end of last year, as the easing of restrictions related to COVID-19 in 2022 led to a record increase in annual migration flows, Azernews reports.

From July 1, the fee for an international student visa has been increased from 710 Australian dollars to 1600 Australian dollars (1068 US dollars).

Australian Interior Minister Claire O'Neill said: "The changes coming into force today will help rebuild our international education system and create a migration system that is fairer and more in Australia's interests."

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as of March this year, Australia's net migration rate will increase by 60 percent to 548,000 by 2023. The increase in fees makes applying for a student visa in Australia more expensive than in competing countries such as the United States and Canada. Thus, the price of a visa to these countries is about 110 US dollars.

The government also said it was closing loopholes in visa rules that allow international students to permanently extend their stay in Australia after the number of students on second or subsequent student visas increased by more than 30 percent to more than 150,000 in 2022-2023.

English language proficiency requirements were also tightened in March, and the savings budget required to obtain international student visas was increased to $19,823 in May. Luke Sheehy, executive director of the Association of Australian Universities, said the government's continued political pressure on the education sector would jeopardize the country's strong position.
International education is one of Australia's largest sources of income, contributing about $24 billion to GDP in the 2022-2023 financial year.