On 1 July 2026, the Australian Government increased visa application charges across most visa categories. For some subclasses, the increase was substantial. The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa increased from $3,210 to $4,015, while the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa increased from $4,910 to $6,140. Other visa categories, including student, graduate and partner visas, also experienced significant rises.
There was no advance notice from the government of these significant increases. Yet for many migrants and employers, they represent thousands of dollars in additional costs at a time when cost-of-living pressures, housing challenges and workforce shortages remain central to national debate.
The question worth asking is who ultimately bears the cost of these increases? In practice, the financial burden often falls on the individual migrant. Many of the people affected are not wealthy investors or multinational executives. They are nurses caring for our ageing population, teachers educating our children, chefs cooking our meals, and engineers and tradespeople delivering critical infrastructure projects. They are people who have already invested heavily in the opportunity to contribute to Australia.
Before a skilled migrant even lodges a visa application, they may have spent significant sums on English language testing, skills assessments, medical examinations, police clearances, document translations and professional advice. Many have also paid international tuition fees, relocation costs and temporary visa charges while building a pathway to permanence. For these individuals, another increase in government fees is not merely an administrative adjustment. It is another financial hurdle placed before people who are already demonstrating a willingness to invest in Australia’s future.
Australia rightly expects migrants to meet high standards. We ask them to prove their skills, demonstrate their English language ability, satisfy health and character requirements and contribute to the economy. Most do so willingly because they see Australia as a place of opportunity, stability and fairness. That is why policymakers should be mindful of the message that repeated and substantial fee increases send.
At the same time, employers across sectors continue to report skills shortages, and Australia is competing globally for talented workers. Countries such as Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Germany are all seeking skilled migrants to fill workforce gaps and support economic growth. In this environment, migration policy is not only about regulation. It is also about attraction, retention and confidence.
The scale of that competition is not theoretical. ManpowerGroup’s 2025 global talent shortage research reported that 74% of employers worldwide were having trouble finding the skilled talent they need. In Australia, the reported figure was 76%. The same research identified particularly acute shortages across areas including healthcare and life sciences, information technology, energy and utilities, engineering, operations and logistics. Longer-term projections are equally sobering. Korn Ferry has estimated that, by 2030, the global talent shortage could exceed 85 million people and result in approximately US$8.5 trillion in unrealised annual revenue if skills gaps are not addressed.
Against that backdrop, the concern is not simply that migration is becoming more expensive. It is that rising upfront costs may weaken Australia’s value proposition at the very moment we are asking skilled workers to choose us over other countries. For people weighing up where to build their future, cost, certainty and perceived welcome all matter. If the pathway to Australia feels increasingly inaccessible and unpredictable, many may understandably look elsewhere.
Most migrants do not object to paying reasonable application charges. They recognise that visa systems cost money to administer, and that Australian residency brings significant privileges and opportunities. What becomes harder to justify is when fee increases appear to move beyond cost recovery and risk positioning migrants as a source of revenue, rather than as future members of the Australian community.
Substantial fee increases risk undermining the accessibility and competitiveness of a migration program that Australia relies on, while placing additional financial pressure on people who may already have limited bargaining power as they navigate complex employment, sponsorship and visa pathways. If we want skilled migrants to build their lives and careers here, we should be cautious about creating a system that requires them to begin that journey already financially stretched, or carrying debt, before they have even had the chance to get started.
Written by Sarah Loch-Wilkinson
