(AUSTRALIA) — The Australian Government doubled the base application charge for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) to AUD 4,600 for primary applicants, a change that took effect for applications lodged on or after 1 March 2026.
The 100% increase, enacted via the Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Application Charge) Regulations 2026, applies across the Post-Study Work stream, Graduate Work stream, and eligible subsequent applications, with secondary fees also rising proportionally.
Primary applicants previously paid AUD 2,300, and applications lodged before 1 March 2026 are processed at the old rates, including a primary charge of AUD 2,300.
For applicants planning to stay after graduation, the increase shifts the immediate cost of using the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) as a bridge from study to work, particularly for those in the Post-Study Work stream who time lodgements around study completion and other deadlines.
Partners and children included in an application also face higher charges under the new settings. The secondary fee now stands at AUD 2,300 for partners aged 18 and over, and AUD 1,160 for children under 18.
The changes also produce large jumps in total government charges for families. Total costs for a single applicant are now AUD 4,600, rising to AUD 6,900 with a partner or AUD 8,060 with a partner and one child.
Exceptions apply to passport holders from Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste, who pay the previous lower rates. The list named in the policy covers Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.
Subsequent Post-Higher Education Work stream applicants pay lower charges under the exception settings: AUD 1,810 for a primary applicant, AUD 910 for an applicant aged 18 and over, and AUD 460 for an applicant under 18.
The Department of Home Affairs updated its fee schedule on 1 March 2026, and described the increase as part of efforts to “restore integrity” to the post-study route amid high net overseas migration.
That migration context included a net overseas migration peak of 538,000 last year, with a target of 306,000 for 2025-26, as outlined alongside the rationale for the fee change.
Home Affairs linked the increase to funding for Genuine Student assessments and compliance, tying the subclass 485 charge rise to broader efforts affecting student and graduate pathways.
The new fee level follows earlier increases over the past year. The base application charge rose on 1 February 2025 from AUD 1,945 to 2,235, and then increased again on 1 July 2025 to AUD 2,300.
For applicants deciding when to lodge, the policy draws a clear line at 1 March 2026, with the payable charge depending on whether a valid application is lodged before or after that date. Those who lodged before the change face the old primary charge of AUD 2,300, while those who lodge on or after that date face AUD 4,600.
The regulation focuses on application charges rather than eligibility criteria, with the published changes centred on the base charge and the related secondary charges for additional applicants included in the same lodgement.
For many graduates, the government fee represents only one component of the overall outlay needed to lodge a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) application. Additional costs like health cover, English tests, skills assessments, and police checks push totals over AUD 7,000 for many.
Those added costs, combined with the higher visa charge, can make budgeting more complex for applicants in the Post-Study Work stream and other Temporary Graduate visa pathways, especially for families lodging together and paying separate charges for partners and children.
The structure of the new charges makes the impact more pronounced for couples and parents. Under the updated schedule, a partner aged 18 or over now attracts the same AUD 2,300 charge that previously applied to the main applicant, while a child under 18 adds AUD 1,160.
Applicants covered by the Pacific and Timor-Leste exceptions sit under a different pricing structure that keeps “the previous lower rates,” with a specific schedule also set out for subsequent Post-Higher Education Work stream applicants.
The exception list spans multiple Pacific Island countries and territories, and it means the fee outcome differs sharply depending on passport and the type of subsequent application, even as the general rule doubles the base charge for the main Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) applicant.
The timing also intersects with other measures flagged alongside the fee shift. The change coincides with February 2026 “visa-hopping” bans, a 31 March onshore agent commission ban, and a Genuine Student test.
Home Affairs framed the visa charge rise as part of a wider integrity push rather than a stand-alone pricing decision, connecting it to compliance activity and assessments as Australia seeks to manage net overseas migration against its stated targets.
The fee change applies across the Post-Study Work stream, Graduate Work stream, and eligible subsequent applications, widening the reach beyond a single pathway and affecting graduates with different qualifications and post-study plans.
With the new base charge in force for applications lodged on or after 1 March 2026, applicants who delayed lodgement past that date now face a higher government charge even if other aspects of their circumstances remain unchanged.
Families that planned to lodge together also face larger combined charges under the new schedule, with government costs now reaching AUD 6,900 for a primary applicant and partner, and AUD 8,060 for a primary applicant, partner and one child.
The updated fee settings add to the pace of change already seen since early 2025, when the base charge increased on 1 February 2025 and again on 1 July 2025, before doubling on 1 March 2026.
Home Affairs’ language around “restore integrity” came as Australia managed net overseas migration figures and targets cited alongside the fee schedule update, and as other measures affecting student and graduate pathways took effect or approached commencement.
Applicants seeking to confirm the current charges are directed to verify fees on the Department of Home Affairs Temporary Graduate visa page, where the updated fee schedule was posted on 1 March 2026.
For those weighing whether to include family members in a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) application, the published charges show how quickly costs rise as additional applicants are added, particularly when partners and children are involved.
The exceptions for Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste also create a separate fee outcome for some applicants, with the old rates continuing to apply for those passport holders and a distinct set of charges set out for subsequent Post-Higher Education Work stream applicants.
Taken together, the Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Application Charge) Regulations 2026 and the updated Home Affairs fee schedule mark a sharp increase in the upfront government charge for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), reshaping the cost of the Post-Study Work stream for graduates lodging from 1 March 2026 onward.
