SYDNEY – Australia has imposed a dramatic 25 per cent hike on international student visa fees but exempted students from South-east Asia from the increase as it seeks to boost ties with its regional neighbours.The federal government on July 3 raised the non-refundable fee for students applying for visas in Australia from A$2,000 (S$1,810) to A$2,500.But, for the first time, students from Asean countries were excluded from the hike and were subject only to an inflation-adjusted increase of A$50, bringing the fee to A$2,050.Australia’s international student visa fees are the highest in the world.Fees in the United States and Britain, for instance, are US$535 (S$690) and £558 (S$959) respectively.The fee hike comes as the government attempts to address a surge in migration since the Covid-19 pandemic. The fee increased from A$710 to A$1,600 in July 2024 and to A$2,000 in July 2025.Australia’s assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, told The Straits Times that the government had exempted Asean students as part of its efforts to deepen Australia’s engagement with South-east Asia. Read more