On the very first day of the 2026-27 financial year, the Department of Home Affairs handed us a big surprise — visa fees have surged right across the board…
Some will say — don’t visa fees go up every financial year?
Yes, but never this dramatically.
Haven’t fees doubled, or risen by several tens of per cent, before too?
Yes, but in the past those were rare exceptions, and it was mostly temporary visas that copped it.
Isn’t Australia in the middle of inflation? We’re all used to prices going up.
Australia’s inflation rate is currently around 4%, yet this time even many permanent residency categories have risen by 20-30%.
Even citizenship and the RRV Resident Return visa (up nearly threefold) have gone up…
Straight to the chart
The prices below are for the primary applicant
The prices below don’t yet include the card surcharge
The visa fees below apply to applicants from mainland China
All we can say is that the cost of getting it wrong when you lodge is now very high — engage a professional right from the start.
📌 Further Reading · Current Official Charges
We have compiled a full comparison table of the new charges referred to in this article — including previous rates, percentage increases and effective dates: Australian Visa Fees 2026-27: New Charges From 1 July.
