Australia partner visa fees jumped 25% to 11,710 dollars on July 1

Australia's visa fee hike hit on July 1, pushing partner visa charges past $11,000 and skilled independent applications to more than $6,000 for the main applicant.

Fee rises of 25% to 200% across the board

The Department of Home Affairs lifted visa application charges on most subclasses by roughly 25%, with a handful jumping over 200%. Applications lodged before July 1 keep the old fees; anything lodged on or after that date pays the new rate.

The main increases in Australian dollars:

• Student (subclass 500): $2,000 to $2,500. ELICOS and some ASEAN/Pacific concessions sit at $2,050.
• Temporary Graduate (485): $4,600 to $5,750.
• Skilled Independent (189): $4,910 to $6,135. Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Regional (491) rose to about $6,140.
• Skills in Demand (482): $3,210 to $4,015.
• Partner (820/801, 309/100) and Prospective Marriage (300): $9,365 to $11,710 for the primary applicant, plus roughly $5,860 per additional adult.
• Working Holiday and Work and Holiday (417/462): first visa $670 to $840; second or third $670 to $1,000.
• Resident Return (155): $490 to $1,475, a 201% jump.
• New Zealand family relationship (461): $445 to $1,330, a 199% jump.

What it costs a nomad in real terms

For a remote worker weighing employer sponsorship, the 482 fee alone now runs $4,015 (about $2,640 USD) before migration agent costs, skills assessments and health checks. Sponsoring employers also have to meet the raised Core Skills Income Threshold, which climbed to $76,515 on July 1, 2025 and has since been referenced at $79,499, with a specialist tier at $146,717. Anyone earning below that floor isn't eligible on employer-sponsored routes.

Working holidaymakers renewing twice now pay $2,840 across three visas instead of $2,010, an extra $830 over the life of the program. The offset: Cyprus, Finland, Germany and South Korea passport holders can now apply up to age 35, up from 30.

Partner applicants take the hardest hit in absolute dollars. A couple with one child under 18 now pays roughly $17,570 in government charges for a partner visa alone, before legal fees. The full fee schedule and eligibility rules for long-term routes into Australia sit alongside the higher salary floors that now gate employer sponsorship.