Will the Government increase application fees this year?

As the end of financial year is quickly approaching we are expecting the Government to issue a statement outlining an increase in fees and charges for lodging visa applications. Due to COVID-19 and the growing delay on application processing times we are unsure of what, if anything, the Government will do regarding the application fees this year.

On 15 June 2020, the Government did announce one small change to the surcharge rate for any payments made by credit card or PayPal for sponsorship, nomination fees and visa application charges.  Currently, the surcharge fee is dependent on the type of credit or debit card used at the time of lodgement. This announcement by the Government will standardise the surcharge to 1.4% on 1 July 2020.

Previous surcharge fees were in the range from 1.0% to 1.99% and so this standardisation will have a small impact on some of our clients but not all.

The Government has not provided information on any additional application fee increases although further announcements may be made prior to the end of the financial year on 1 July 2020. We will keep you up to date as always.

DISCLAIMER This information is current as of 29 June 2020 and subject to change. The information contained in this publication is of a general nature only. It should not be used as legal advice. To the extent permissible by law, Ajuria Lawyers and its associated entities shall not be liable for any errors, omissions, defects or misrepresentations in the information or for any loss or damage suffered by persons who use or rely on such information. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.