Annual Adjustment of Fees and Charges Effective 1 July 2008
1 July 2008 - Legislation Change
Client summary
From 1 July 2008, the Migration Regulations 1994 ('the Migration Regulations') are amended to effect the annual adjustment of most fees and visa application charges. The annual adjustment process is done in accordance with government policy and the Migration (Visa Application) Charge Act 1997.
The Immigration (Education) Regulations 1992 ('the Education Regulations') are also amended from 1 July 2008 to effect the annual adjustment of fees for prescribed English courses for migrants and other persons prescribed in section 4 of the Immigration (Education) Charge Act 1992.
Affected legislation
The following provisions of the Regulations are amended:
Parts 1, 2 and 5 and Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations are amended, as is Regulation 4 of the Education Regulations. Adjustments to these fees and charges occur each year, effective 1 July. The last fee and visa application charge adjustment took effect from 1 July 2007.
Most fees and visa application charges are adjusted annually in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index. These fees and charges will increase by 2.3 per cent.
Second visa application charges for Contributory Parent visas are normally adjusted by the Contributory Parent Visa Composite Index but these will remain unchanged from 1 July 2008. A number of fees and charges will increase beyond the rate of change in the Consumer Price Index. These are detailed below.
All increases are rounded to a multiple of $5.00 according to the following methodology:
- if the amount of the charge calculated under this formula is not a multiple of $5.00, and if the amount 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 to these fees and charges does not exceed the applicable charge limits set out in the Migration (Visa Application) Charge Act 1997 and the Immigration (Education) Charge Act 1992.
Additional information: As detailed in the Budget Papers for 2008–09, the Government will increase the visa application charge for Tourist visas by $25 from $75 to $100 per application overseas, and from $215 to $240 for all related visa extensions in Australia. The Government will also increase visa application charges for Temporary Residence visas by $60 from $190 to $250, and Resident Return visas by $120 from $120 to $240. These increases will be implemented on 1 July 2008.
The measure also includes an increase in the fee for Certificate of Evidence of Residency from $70 to $100.
The changes will better reflect visa processing costs and more closely align Australian visa application charges with other comparable countries while still maintaining Australia's competitiveness in tourism and skilled migration.
Transitional provisions: The amendments apply to fees and charges incurred on or after 1 July 2008.
Forms: The July 2008 version of the Charges Form 990i reflects the changes in fees and visa application charges which result from the annual adjustment process.
Instructions: PAM3 will be amended to reflect these changes by 1 July 2008.