Effective July 1, 2026, application fees have increased for skilled, partner, student, working holiday, visitor and parent visas through the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026. Citizenship fees have also increased.
From that date, the first instalment of the visa application charge (VAC) increased by 25% for most visas, in addition to the ongoing annual indexation of VACs for all other visas in line with the forecast Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.6%.
There has also been a higher increase to the VAC for Subclass 500 (Student) and Subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visas (Subclass 500 and 590 visas, respectively). The base application charge component of the first instalment for primary applicants increases from AUD 2000 to AUD 2500.
The amendment also introduced limited exemptions and differential settings for visa applicants for certain visas who hold a valid passport issued by a specified country from the Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, collectively referred to as Pacific regional countries. These applicants will continue to benefit from concessional VAC arrangements and are not subject to the additional increase for Subclass 500 and 590 visas.
Citizenship fees were also increased in line with the CPI.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.