Saving Up for Australia? A Friendly Guide to the Higher Visa Charges

News · 2026-08-06 · 3 min read

Putting money aside for a move to Australia? Whether you are working in the Middle East right now or back home in the Philippines, knowing the real price of your visa helps you plan with a calm mind.

On 1 July 2026, the Australian Government increased its application charges for almost every visa category. If your application goes in on that date or later, you pay the new amount.

Employer-backed pathways and their new price tags

Visa and subclass	Government charge
482 – Skills in Demand	$4,015 (previously $3,210)
186 – Employer Nomination Scheme	$6,140
494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional	$6,140

Hoping to bring your husband, wife or children along? Every extra family member on the application attracts a charge of its own, added on top of the amounts above.

If you are taking the skilled migration route

Visa and subclass	Government charge
189 – Skilled Independent	$6,135
190 – Skilled Nominated	$6,140
491 – Skilled Work Regional	$6,140

For students, guardians and fresh graduates

Here is what student and graduate visas now cost:

Visa and subclass	Government charge
500 – Student Visa	$2,500
590 – Student Guardian	$2,500
485 – Temporary Graduate	$5,750

The most expensive one on the list

At $11,710, the Partner Visa carries the largest single government charge anywhere in the system.

Let us do the maths together

Here is a quick example. Imagine a family of three (the main applicant, a spouse and one child) lodging together for a Skilled Independent (189) visa. The government charges by themselves reach $10,745.

That total still leaves out several other costs you should prepare for:

English tests
Skills assessments
Medical examinations
Police clearance certificates

Already sent in your application?

Does this affect visas already lodged? Good news: no. Anything lodged before 1 July 2026 keeps the old fee, even if a decision has not come yet. Only applications lodged from 1 July 2026 onward are charged at the higher rate.

Australia still needs skilled hands

The bigger fees have not changed one thing: the country is still short of skilled workers, and that gap isn't going away, especially in fields such as:

Carpentry
Electrical
Mechanics
Welding
Chef roles
Butchery
HVAC
Nursing
Engineering
Heavy Vehicle Mechanics

Thousands of employer-sponsored roles remain open to qualified applicants from overseas, including workers from the Philippines and many other countries.

Your next step, kabayan

Ready to explore visa sponsorship? Accredited Australian employers offer genuine sponsorship to skilled workers. Browse the employer sponsored jobs listed here and register your profile.

Takeaway: save early, count every family member, and budget for tests, medicals and police clearances on top of the visa charge. Kaya mo 'yan!

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