Asean students exempted from Australia’s 25% hike in student visa fees

 Australian assistant minister says it is part of the country's efforts to increase engagement with the region.

There are about 15,000 Malaysian students in Australia, says AUG Student Services.

PETALING JAYA:

Asean students, including those from Malaysia, have been exempted from the 25% hike in international student visa fees as Australia seeks to step up relations with its regional neighbours.

Singapore’s The Straits Times said the Australian government raised the non-refundable fee for students applying for visas from A$2,000 (RM5,700) to A$2,500 (RM7,135) on July 3, but students from Asean countries were excluded from the hike and only subject to an inflation-adjusted increase of A$50, making the fee A$2,050 (RM5,850).

It quoted Australia’s assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, as saying the government had given the exemption as part of its efforts to increase Australia’s engagement with the region.

“A reduced visa fee rate for students from Asean nations reflects the importance Australia places on welcoming high-quality students from Southeast Asia,” Hill told ST.

“Australia and Asean nations share deep, abiding bonds and it’s important that our young people spend time in their formative years getting to know each other and building lifelong bonds.”

The report also said AUG Student Services, which has been counselling Malaysian students on studying in Australia for more than 30 years, did not think the fee increase was likely to deter applicants.

It said Australia has been the top overseas study destination for Malaysians since 2022, and the number of Malaysian students there number about 15,000 currently.

“The hike is just 2.5%, or A$50, from the previous A$2,000,” AUG’s partnership director (Australia), Nicole Chong, told ST. “This shows the Australian government’s determination to maintain a strong educational relationship with Asean.”

The report said the fee increase comes as the Australian government tries 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.

It said Australia’s international student visa fees are the highest in the world, and the education sector is the nation’s fifth-largest revenue earner, bringing in A$55 billion (about RM157 billion) in 2025.

There are currently about 680,000 foreign students at universities, vocational colleges, schools and other institutions in Australia, with about 160,000 from China, 111,000 from India, 61,000 from Nepal, 31,000 from Vietnam, and more than 6,000 from Singapore. - FMT