Indonesian Residents in Australia Stunned by Drastic Visa Fee Hikes

Ria Hariati, an Indonesian resident in Sydney, was shocked to see the price increase for renewing a Resident Return Visa (RRV) as a permanent resident (PR) in Australia. “The increase is no joke, I mean it’s threefold,” Ria told ABC Indonesia. “But however it is, we have to comply with Australia’s policies… although it is quite burdensome for us.” As of 1 July 2026, the Australian Government has imposed new fees for various visas. One of them is the renewal fee for the Resident Return Visa (RRV) subclass 155, or PR renewal, which rose from AU$490 (Rp6.1 million) to AU$1,475 (Rp18.3 million). Ria, who has held PR for five years, said she must renew her travel facility before it expires in December. “Unfortunately, I didn’t renew the RRV before the price hike,” she said. On social media, some Indonesian PR holders are considering switching citizenship rather than paying the more expensive RRV. But Ria said she will maintain her Indonesian passport. “Being a PR is already comfortable, I get the benefits of PR, the benefits of being an Indonesian citizen,” said Ria, who is originally from Surabaya. “And I have property in Indonesia, so I can’t change to Australian citizenship.” Ria also said she plans to spend her retirement in Indonesia. With these considerations, she said she has no choice but to pay the visa renewal fee. Claudia Marchella Siswanto, a hospitality management student in Melbourne, was also surprised to learn of the visa fee increases. Claudia, who plans to apply for a Graduate Visa later this year, had anticipated a price rise, but “not this drastic.” “I thought the increase might be AU$400 or AU$500, but it turned out to be more than AU$1,000,” Claudia said. In March, the Australian government doubled the cost of the Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) from AU$2,300 to AU$4,600. Earlier this week, the fee surged to AU$5,750, which many international students say was implemented without prior notice. Since beginning her studies in Melbourne in 2024, Claudia says she has been working harder to save for the visa. But the continuous fee increases have made her question whether to stay in Australia. “But I think, having come this far, we’ve already spent a lot of money,” she said. “It would be a shame to give up and go back to Indonesia; that would be even less worth it.” Deden Burhanudin Alamsyah, a Work and Holiday Visa holder currently in Bendigo, Victoria, said the price increase means he must prepare more funds. “It doesn’t change my plans, but it’s clearly an additional burden and I have to be smarter about saving,” he said. Deden plans to apply for a second-year WHV. He noted that the initial costs to come to Australia on a WHV were already “substantial,” covering the visa, flights, and living expenses. “With this increase, future WHV applicants will have to prepare even more capital,” he said. Claudia hopes the Australian Government will provide information before implementing such policies in the future. “I also think positively, this means they want to select people who are truly serious about staying here,” she said. “But the downside is, the Australian Government might lose out if skilled people return to Indonesia simply because of financial constraints.” Former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi said the government deliberately gave no warning about the visa fee increases. “The government did not want a rush of applications before the fee increase date, so they only announced it on the day,” Dr Rizvi said. He said Australia’s immigration system faces three major risks: failing to meet migration targets, a backlog of Partner visa applications, and rising protection visa refusals. “And I don’t think this fee increase addresses any of those problems,” Dr Rizvi said. Immigration lawyer Sean Dong said the latest increase far exceeds the usual annual adjustments linked to the Consumer Price Index. “I think this has to do with the current anti-immigration political climate in Australia,” Dong said. “The Department of Home Affairs needs more budget, and in the current political climate, squeezing money out of visa applicants is relatively free of public backlash, so I think that’s why they made that choice.” A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said the government is “reforming the migration system to ensure it operates in the national interest.” “It is standard practice for the department not to announce VAC changes before implementation,” the spokesperson said. “Visa fees remain a small fraction of the overall cost of visiting or migrating to Australia. Australia remains an attractive destination, and the VAC increase is unlikely to significantly affect demand for most visas.”