485 Visa Fee Increase 2026: Now A$5,710 — a Second Hike in Months

If you are an Indian or Kerala student planning to work in Australia after your degree, the number changed on you — twice. On 1 March 2026 the government doubled the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) fee from A$2,300 to A$4,600. Then on 1 July 2026 it rose again, to about A$5,710. Here is exactly what went up, who is affected, the one option that is still relatively cheap, and how to plan around it.

How much is the 485 visa fee now?

As of 1 July 2026, the base application charge for a primary applicant for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is about A$5,710. That is the second jump in a matter of months. The fee had already doubled from A$2,300 to A$4,600 on 1 March 2026; the 1 July increase pushed it higher again, part of a broader round of Australian visa fee rises that took effect that day.

This is the base application charge only. Your total cost is higher once you add health checks, biometrics, police certificates, English test fees (if required) and Overseas Student Health Cover. Budget for the full picture, not just the headline number.

The fee timeline: two hikes in months

The 485 fee did not move once — it climbed in steps, doubled, then rose again:

In roughly a year and a half, the primary 485 fee has gone from A$1,945 to about A$5,710 — nearly three times the earlier cost. Fees are indexed each 1 July on top of one-off policy changes, so treat these figures as a snapshot and confirm the current charge before you lodge.

485 fees by applicant type

The confirmed headline change is to the primary applicant. Other categories were also lifted by the 1 July 2026 round:

* Figures shown are as at the 1 March 2026 change. These charges were also lifted by the 1 July 2026 indexation — confirm the exact current amounts on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Either way, the primary charge alone — about A$5,710 before any add-ons — is now a serious line item in any student budget, and applying with family adds more on top.

The regional exception — now a bigger advantage

Here is the part most panic coverage skips. The Second Post-Higher Education Work stream — the additional 485 visa available to graduates who studied at a regional campus — carries a much lower charge (around A$1,810 at the March 2026 change, and still well under half the standard fee even after indexation).

So each fee rise makes the regional pathway relatively more attractive: you get one or two extra years of post-study work rights, and the extension itself is a fraction of the standard cost. If you are still choosing where to study, this is one more reason to look beyond Sydney and Melbourne.

Who is exempt from the increase?

The fee increases do not apply to passport holders from 13 Pacific and Timor-Leste nations: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. For Indian passport holders, unfortunately, the full charge applies.

Why did the fee keep rising?

According to the Department of Home Affairs, the increases are meant to "restore integrity" to the post-study work route. The government's view is that the 485 had become a default stop-gap for graduates with no clear long-term plan, so a higher fee is intended to deter non-genuine applicants. The March doubling alone was projected to raise around A$1.2 billion over five years from this one subclass, and the revenue funds visa-integrity measures — the Genuine Student assessment, an expanded compliance division, and real-time data-matching with the Australian Taxation Office. The 1 July 2026 rise came as part of a wider lift in visa fees across most subclasses.

Whether or not you agree with the rationale, the practical takeaway is the same: the 485 is now a considered, higher-stakes decision — not an automatic one. Applying with a real plan for work and skills Australia actually needs matters more than ever.

How does it compare globally?

At around A$5,710, Australia's post-study work visa is now one of the most expensive in the English-speaking world. Even at the earlier A$4,600 mark, it was reported to be more than 10× the cost of a comparable visa in Canada, around 3× New Zealand, and roughly 2× the United Kingdom — and it has only climbed since. That gap is prompting some students to weigh other destinations, and the sudden March change triggered a grass-roots campaign against it.

That said, the visa fee is a one-off cost against potentially two to four years of Australian salary and work experience. It is a bigger upfront number, not necessarily a worse long-term deal — especially if your course leads to an in-demand, higher-paying field.

What this means for Indian & Kerala students

• Budget the real number. Add about A$5,710 (plus health cover and add-ons) to your post-graduation costs from day one, and expect fees to keep drifting up each 1 July. Our funding guide and visa cost tools can help you plan.
• Weigh the regional route. A regional campus can mean lower tuition, an extra 485 year, and a much cheaper extension. See regional cost of living.
• Pick a course Australia is hiring for. A higher visa fee stings less when your field pays well and has real shortages. That is exactly what our free Course Advisor matches you to — using real Skills Priority List data.
• Apply deliberately. With integrity checks tightening, a genuine study-to-work plan is now the safest application.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & disclaimer: Fee changes reported by the Department of Home Affairs, SBS News, ICEF Monitor and coverage of the 1 July 2026 fee increase. Home Affairs lists the primary base application charge at about A$5,710 from 1 July 2026; some outlets have reported figures around A$5,750, so confirm the exact current amount on the official Home Affairs website before applying. This article is general information, not migration advice.