Visa application charges rose across nearly every category from 1 July 2026, under the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 (F2026L00874). The new charges apply only to applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026.
The shape of the increase
The rise wasn’t uniform:
- Most mainstream visas went up by around 25% on the first instalment.
- Some visas moved only by CPI (~2.6%), in line with inflation.
- A few rose far more steeply — for example, Bridging Visa B (from A$190 to A$575) and Resident Return (from A$490 to A$1,475) increased by roughly 200%.
Because the increase varies so much by subclass, old fee estimates are now a liability. Quoting last year’s figure on a partner or skilled application can be a material error in a client’s cost planning.
Exact current charges change with indexation and by subclass — always take the fee from the official Home Affairs fees page at the time you quote.
What this means for your practice
Two things get harder after a fee change: quoting the right amount, and reconciling the money once a larger charge flows through your trust account.
If your fee schedule lives in a document someone has to remember to update, errors creep in. If the charge is tied to the visa type on the client’s file, and receipts and disbursements reconcile in the same place, a fee rise is a settings change — not a source of trust-account discrepancies. That link between the application and the money is core to how Centrio is built.
This is general information, not migration or legal advice. Details and dates were accurate at publication and can change — always confirm the current charge against the primary source before quoting a client.
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