Kathmandu. The Australian government has increased visa fees for foreign students.
According to the visa fee implemented from July 1, now foreign students will have to pay 1600 dollars, which is approximately 143 thousand rupees. Previously, it was 710 Australian dollars (63 thousand 324 rupees). The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government has taken this step after a record increase in the number of foreign students recently. Now it will affect Nepali students too.
Last year, more than 100,000 students from Nepal received a no objection letter and 50 percent more have reached Australia. As this number will increase this year as well, Nepali students will spend crores of rupees to get visas for studying in Australia. If the visa is not received, the amount will not be refunded.
After the new system, it has become more expensive to get a student visa in Australia than in the US and Canada. The fee is currently $185 in the US and $150 Canadian in Canada
The Group of Eight, which represents Australia’s top research universities (including The University of Sydney and The University of Melbourne), expressed its disappointment.