Migration Amendment (Visa Application Charges) Regulations 2023 dated 19 June 2023 specifies the increased visa application charges for majority of visas that will apply from 1 July 2023.
The new VACs are in accordance with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and implement the Migration – Uplift of Visa Application Charges Budget measure.
The affected VACs are increased from their 2022‑23 baseline amounts by the 2023-24 forecast CPI of 3.25%. Visitor, working holiday, work and holiday, training, temporary activity, and temporary work (short stay specialist) visas are increased by a further 21% in addition to CPI. Business innovation and investment visas are increased by a further 46% in addition to CPI. The remaining visas are increased by 6% in addition to CPI.
The exception to this additional increase is the Subclass 403 (Temporary Work (International Relations)) visa in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) stream which has been indexed in line with CPI only, as a reflection of the Government’s commitment to building ties with the nations of the Pacific and Timor-Leste. The new VAC amounts are also rounded to the nearest $5 according to the following methodology:
- if the amount of the charge calculated under this formula is not a multiple of $5.00, and exceeds the nearest lower multiple of $5.00 by $2.50 or more, the amount is rounded up to the nearest $5.00;
- in any other case, where the charge calculated under the formula is not a multiple of $5.00, the amount is rounded down to the nearest lower multiple of $5.00.
The amount of the increase in these items does not exceed the applicable charge limit set out in the Migration (Visa Application) Charge Act 1997.
The purpose of this amendment is to increase visa application charges (VACs) for certain visas as a consequence of the 2017-18 Budget Measure Indexation of visa application charges and 2023-24 Budget Measure Uplift of Visa Application Charges. The increased revenue generated will fund costs associated with improving visa processing including ensuring the timeliness of visa processing.
The instrument is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 22 June 2023 and will commence on 1 July 2023.
To access the instrument, click here.
