The Australian government has more than doubled the fee for international student visas, in its latest move to control the rapid rise of migration.
The price hike took effect on Monday. The fee has increased from 710 Australian dollars to 1,600 dollars or a little over 1,000 US dollars.
Local media say it is among the highest fee in the world, compared to 490 pounds or about 620 US dollars in the UK and 185 dollars in the US.
Australia has seen a surge in the number of migrants, including foreign students. In the year to June 2023, its population grew a record 510,000, most of whom were migrants. This has caused serious housing shortages.
The fee increase is part of the government’s migration reforms. In a statement, Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil said these changes will help restore integrity to the country’s education system, and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia.