Homepage News Australian Visa Guide Australian Visa Fees 2026–27: Student, 485, Visitor, Skilled and Partner Visa Costs
Nov 12, 2026
Australian Visa Guide

Australian Visa Fees 2026–27: Student, 485, Visitor, Skilled and Partner Visa Costs

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The 2026–27 Australian visa fees have applied since 1 July 2026. The Student visa (subclass 500) rose from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500 for the main applicant, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) rose from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750. A first Working Holiday or Work and Holiday visa is AUD 840, a Visitor visa lodged outside Australia is AUD 250, points-tested skilled visas are about AUD 6,140 and a Partner visa is AUD 11,710.

This guide sets out the visa application charge (VAC) for main applicants and for additional applicants aged 18 and over or under 18, taken from the Department of Home Affairs pricing table. It also covers how the Student and 485 charges changed from 2025–26, the AUD 700 subsequent temporary application charge, the latest official wording on card surcharges, and the costs that sit outside the visa fee.

All amounts are in Australian dollars. The amount you actually pay is the one ImmiAccount shows when you lodge. Information current as at 2026-11-13.

Table of contents

1. 2026–27 visa fees at a glance

  • Student visa (500): AUD 2,500 for the main applicant; AUD 2,050 for independent ELICOS and Non-Award courses.
  • Temporary Graduate visa (485): AUD 5,750; AUD 2,265 for the Second Post-Higher Education Work stream.
  • Working Holiday (417) and Work and Holiday (462): AUD 840 for a first visa, AUD 1,000 for a second or third.
  • Visitor visa (600): AUD 250 outside Australia, AUD 630 for the Tourist stream in Australia.
  • Skilled and employer-sponsored permanent visas (189, 190, 491, 186, 494): AUD 6,135–6,140 for the main applicant.
  • Skills in Demand visa (482): AUD 4,015 for the main applicant and for each additional applicant aged 18 or over.
  • Partner visas (820/801 and 309/100): AUD 11,710.
  • Card surcharges: the Home Affairs Surcharges page says they ceased from 1 October 2026; go by what the payment screen shows.

Streams, concessions and exemptions can change the figure, so run your own details through the official Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge. It asks for passport country, lodgement date and the number of applicants.

2. Student, guardian and graduate visa fees

Visa Main applicant Additional applicant (18+ / under 18)
Student 500 – most courses 2,500 1,530 / 500
Student 500 – independent ELICOS and Non-Award 2,050 1,255 / 410
Student 500 – Postgraduate research 2,500 Listed as not applicable
Student Guardian 590 2,500 Not applicable / 500
Temporary Graduate 485 – Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work 5,750 2,875 / 1,450
Temporary Graduate 485 – Second Post-Higher Education Work 2,265 1,140 / 575
Training 407 535 535 / 135

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (CC BY 3.0 AU), accessed 2026-11-13

Concessions by passport

Two groups of Student visa applicants were kept out of the main increase and only received the annual indexation. The first is anyone applying in the independent ELICOS or Non-Award sectors. The second is primary applicants holding passports from ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and from listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. The Home Affairs Student visa page notes that a lower visa cost applies to these nationalities but does not publish the amount, so go by the figure ImmiAccount shows. Home Affairs applies the lower charge automatically in ImmiAccount based on the passport used.

Some Student visa applicants pay no VAC at all, including Australian Government scholarship holders, students sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence, secondary exchange students, and family members of postgraduate research students.

Keep in mind that since 2 October 2026 most Student visa applicants can no longer include family members, so the additional applicant charges only matter if you meet an exemption. Our summary of the 2026 student visa changes explains who is covered. The family member rules for the 485 visa also changed on 13 November 2026; see the 485 visa guide and the Home Affairs 485 page before adding anyone to an application.

3. Visitor and working holiday visa fees

Visa Visa application charge Notes
Visitor 600 – Tourist stream (outside Australia) 250 One application per person
Visitor 600 – Sponsored Family and Business Visitor streams 250 One application per person
Visitor 600 – Tourist stream (in Australia) 630 STAC of AUD 700 may be added
Visitor 600 – Frequent Traveller stream 1,845 Only for listed passports
Electronic Travel Authority 601 0 AUD 20 service charge in the Australian ETA app
eVisitor 651 0 Listed European passports only
Working Holiday 417 – first / second or third 840 / 1,000 No additional applicants
Work and Holiday 462 – first / second or third 840 / 1,000 No additional applicants

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (CC BY 3.0 AU), accessed 2026-11-13

Which visitor option applies to your passport?

The ETA and eVisitor are tied to nationality. The ETA list includes, for example, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and Hong Kong, while the eVisitor is limited to a set of European passports such as Spain, Italy, Germany and France. No Latin American country and not South Africa appeared on either list when we checked on 13 November 2026, so travellers on those passports would look at the Visitor visa (subclass 600). If parents are flying in for a graduation, our guide to visas for parents attending graduation compares the ETA and the 600.

Working holiday: 417 or 462?

The subclass also depends on your passport. Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador are among the Work and Holiday (462) countries. Passport holders from China, India and Vietnam must first enter a ballot for a first 462 visa, and registration costs AUD 25 on top of the AUD 840 visa charge if selected. Read more in our 462 visa ballot update and the second-year working holiday visa guide.

4. Work and skilled migration visa fees

Visa Main applicant Additional applicant (18+ / under 18)
Skills in Demand 482 – Core Skills, Specialist Skills and Labour Agreement streams 4,015 4,015 / 1,005
Employer Nomination Scheme 186 – all three streams 6,140 3,070 / 1,535
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional 494 6,140 3,070 / 1,535
Skilled Independent 189 – Points-tested stream 6,135 3,070 / 1,540
Skilled Nominated 190 6,140 3,070 / 1,535
Skilled Work Regional 491 6,140 3,070 / 1,535
Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) 191 – Regional Provisional stream 630 315 / 160

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (CC BY 3.0 AU), accessed 2026-11-13

Second instalment

A VAC can have two instalments: the first is paid at lodgement and the second, where one exists, before grant. For skilled visas the usual trigger is an applicant aged 18 or over who is assessed as not having functional English. That second instalment is AUD 4,885 for the 189 and 190, AUD 4,890 for the 491 and 494, and for the 186 it is AUD 9,800 for a main applicant and AUD 4,890 for a secondary applicant. For everyone else the second instalment is nil.

Employer-sponsored visas also involve sponsorship and nomination fees and the Skilling Australians Fund levy. Those are costs for the employer, not part of the applicant's VAC, and are listed on the Home Affairs nomination and sponsorship fees page.

5. Partner and bridging visa fees

Visa Main applicant Additional applicant (18+ / under 18)
Partner 820/801 (applied for in Australia) 11,710 5,860 / 2,935
Partner 309/100 (applied for outside Australia) 11,710 5,860 / 2,935
Prospective Marriage 300 11,710 5,860 / 2,935
Bridging visa A (010) and Bridging visa C (030) 0 Not applicable
Bridging visa B (020) 575 Not applicable

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (CC BY 3.0 AU), accessed 2026-11-13

The pricing table lists a separate, lower charge for an 820/801 application made by a Prospective Marriage visa holder: AUD 1,955 for the main applicant. If you are waiting on a decision in Australia and need to travel, a Bridging visa B costs AUD 575; our bridging visa guide explains how the BVA, BVB and BVC differ.

6. How much did fees rise from 2025–26?

Study Australia, the Australian Government's official site for international students, set out two changes in its notice to education agents: from 1 July 2026 the Student visa charge went from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500, and the Temporary Graduate visa charge went from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750.

Visa (main applicant) 2025–26 2026–27
Student 500 – most courses 2,000 2,500
Temporary Graduate 485 4,600 5,750

Source: Study Australia notice and Australian Government Department of Home Affairs pricing table, accessed 2026-11-13

On those published figures both charges went up by 25 per cent. The same notice says charges were increased for all visas, while Student visa applicants in the independent ELICOS and Non-Award sectors and primary applicants on ASEAN, Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passports only received the annual indexation (the independent ELICOS and Non-Award rate is now AUD 2,050). The current Home Affairs pricing table does not show 2025–26 amounts for other visas, so we have not listed them; the current charges are in the tables above.

7. The subsequent temporary application charge (STAC)

The subsequent temporary application charge is currently AUD 700 per person and is added to the normal VAC. Home Affairs works it out for each applicant in this order:

  1. You are in Australia and applying for a 407, 408, 482, 500, 590 or 600 visa.
  2. You hold, or the last substantive visa you held was, one of the listed temporary visas, such as a 417, 462, 482, 500, 590 or 600.
  3. You applied for that earlier visa while you were in Australia.

The charge applies only when all three are true. It is not payable if you are outside Australia when you apply, if this is your first substantive temporary visa application made in Australia, or if your earlier visa was a Student visa you had to apply for because your education provider defaulted. Bridging and permanent visa applications do not attract it.

8. Paying the fee and card surcharges

  • Surcharges: the Home Affairs Surcharges page (updated 12 October 2026) states that from 1 October 2026 the Department ceased applying surcharges to all card, PayPal and UnionPay payments. The Fees and charges overview page (updated 25 September 2026) still says a surcharge may apply to card or PayPal payments, so the two pages do not yet match; go by what the payment screen shows.
  • Priced on the date received: if the fee increases between lodgement and receipt, the new charge is payable.
  • Check your limit: make sure your card's daily limit covers the full amount. Any foreign transaction fee from your bank is outside the Department's charges.

9. Costs that are not part of the visa fee

The VAC is only what you pay Home Affairs at lodgement. Budget separately for:

  • Health examinations, where required, which are not included in the visa fee.
  • Police certificates, with fees set by each issuing country.
  • Biometrics: Australian Biometrics Collection Centres charge a service fee.
  • Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), which Student visa applicants must hold and pay to an insurer.
  • ETA app service charge of AUD 20, or the 462 ballot registration fee of AUD 25, where relevant.
  • Translations, English tests and skills assessments, charged by each provider.

10. Who can help if you need assistance?

You can apply for these visas yourself through ImmiAccount. If you want someone else to give immigration assistance (assessing your personal eligibility, preparing or lodging an application, or dealing with Home Affairs on your behalf), the Migration Act only allows a registered migration agent with a MARN or an Australian legal practitioner to do so. You can search the register on the OMARA website, mara.gov.au.

Level Up Studies can help with course planning and school applications. This article is general information and is not migration advice.

Frequently asked questions

Q1: How much is the Australian student visa fee in 2026?

From 1 July 2026 the visa application charge for a Student visa (subclass 500) is AUD 2,500 for the main applicant, up from AUD 2,000 in 2025–26. Applicants in the independent ELICOS and Non-Award sectors pay AUD 2,050, and eligible ASEAN, Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders pay a lower concession rate. If you lodge in Australia and the subsequent temporary application charge applies, add AUD 700 per person.

Q2: How much does the 485 Temporary Graduate visa cost in 2026–27?

The Post-Higher Education Work and Post-Vocational Education Work streams cost AUD 5,750 for the main applicant, up from AUD 4,600. Additional applicants are AUD 2,875 if aged 18 or over and AUD 1,450 if under 18. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream is AUD 2,265 for the main applicant.

Q3: Is there still a credit card surcharge on Australian visa fees?

The Department of Home Affairs Surcharges page states that from 1 October 2026 it has stopped applying surcharges to all card, PayPal and UnionPay payments. The Fees and charges overview page still says a surcharge may apply, so go by what the payment screen shows. Any foreign transaction fee or exchange margin charged by your own bank is separate and is not a Home Affairs charge.

Q4: What is the AUD 700 subsequent temporary application charge?

It is an extra charge of AUD 700 per person that can apply when you are in Australia applying for a 407, 408, 482, 500, 590 or 600 visa, and your current or last substantive visa was a listed temporary visa that you also applied for in Australia. It does not apply to applications made outside Australia or to a first substantive temporary visa application made in Australia.

Q5: Which date decides the visa fee I pay?

Home Affairs calculates the cost from the date it receives your application. If the price rises between the day you lodge and the day the Department receives the application, you need to pay the new charge. The visa application charge does not cover health examinations, police certificates or biometrics.

Planning to study in Australia? Level Up Studies offers free study and course counselling:

  • Melbourne Head Office: +61 3 8590 3229 | contactus@levelupstudies.com | 1/105 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
  • LINE: add our official account

Level Up Studies Melbourne LINE QR code

Further reading

Sources

Disclaimer: 1. This article is general information only and does not constitute migration or legal advice. 2. We have a qualified education agent counsellor (QEAC #2822) who can help with study planning, but visa decisions rest with the Australian Government. 3. Figures and rules reflect the official pages accessed on 2026-11-13. 4. Course details, fees, start dates, and migration policies are subject to change. Please check the latest announcements from the school and the Australian Department of Home Affairs.
For personalised study or migration planning, please contact our professional advisory team.
Registered Migration Agent MARA: 2519162
Qualified Education Agent Counsellor QEAC: 2822

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