International student visas quietly doubled from $710 to $1600

Foreign students wanting to study in Australia have been hit with a hefty application fee as “rorts and exploitation” plague the system.

The cost of a visa for international students has quietly been more than doubled.

A stark 125 per cent fee hike from $710 to $1600 will be implemented from July 1, with the funds to be reinvested back into the tertiary eduction and vocational sector and used for the implementation of the Migration Strategy.

This makes Australia one of the most expensive destinations for foreign students. In comparison, the US charges about $764 in application fees, overseas students wanting to study in the UK pay about $930 or $164 in Canada.

International students who want to study in Australia have had their visa application fees more than doubled as of July 1. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper

The announcement was issued in a joint release from Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor, Education Minister Jason Clare, and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil on Monday.

Ms O’Neil said Australia’s international education system had been “compromised by rorts and exploitation”.

“This sector has the power to drive growth and opportunity for our country, but to get there, we’ve got to work with quality providers to clean it up,” she said.

“The changes coming into force today will help restore integrity to our international education system and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia.”

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the international education system had been ‘compromised by rorts and exploitation’. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

Mr Clare said the changes would “strengthen integrity” in tertiary institutions, adding that “international education” was an “incredibly important national asset”.

Mr O’Connor added the government was cracking down on “unscrupulous providers who are looking to take advantage of international students”.

“Australia has a world-class education sector, one that draws international students from around the globe, so we need to make sure all students are getting the quality of education they pay for,” he said.

International students make up a key income revenue stream for universities; however, the government is debating legislation that would implement maximum caps on overseas students.

The May federal budget flagged enrolment numbers could be limited to how much housing the institution could provide.

Earlier this year, the government also increased the funds applicants must be able to prove they have before obtaining a visa, with that amount soaring by about 21 per cent from $24,505 to $29,710.

About 1400 universities and colleges in Australia are registered to enrol international students.