At the end of every financial year the visa application charges always receive a steroids dose from DIAC. This year the biggest increase is aimed at those who come to Australia and bring their family members with them.
The new visa charges are to begin on the 1st of July and were released yesterday on DIAC's web site. The expected pricing sheet can be downloaded here. You can read the public relations blurb on this via DIAC web page here.
This year marks a stark departure from the norm for DIAC. I cannot remember a time that DIAC has ever charged an extra fee to include family members (except for the Contributory Parent visa). Many of the application fees for the primary applicant have remained the same but the family unit extra fees are significant.
For example 1
An applicant who has a wife and two children who is going to apply for permanent residence visa the Employer Nomination Scheme. From the 1st of July they will have pay an eye watering $6,150. This is more than double the $3060 they would be paying today. A single person with no family members will only have to pay the same $3060 after the 1st of July.
Example 2
An international student with a wife and two children here as student dependents, now wishes to apply for the Graduate 485. From the 1st of July they will have to pay $2,505. Again more than double the fee they would pay today. A single person will only pay the current rate of $1250 from the 1st of July
Example 3
A potential skilled migrant using the Skilled Independent (189), Nominated (190) or Regional Sponsored (489) applications who has a wife as dependent will have to pay $4590 compared to the current $3060. A single applicant will continue to pay the current $3060 from the 1st of July.
In reality the winners of this new price structure are the single applicants.
In the majority of cases their application fees will remain at the same rate as they are today. The 457 visa applicants are a notable exception here having their fees nearly doubled to $900 on the 1st of July.
