Malaysian applicants: what Australia's July 2026 visa charge rise means for your budget

News · 2026-08-06 · 3 min read

Saving up for kerja luar negara usually starts with the airfare and the first month's rent. For Australia, the visa itself is a big line in the budget too, and the government raised its application charges on 1 July 2026. Anything lodged from that date is charged at the new rate, so it pays to see the figures before you set a savings target.

The new charge, visa by visa

The table below lists the government's application charge for the main work, study and family routes. It covers the government charge only.

Visa	Government charge
Skills in Demand (Subclass 482)	$4,015, up from $3,210
Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186)	$6,140
Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494)	$6,140
Skilled Independent (Subclass 189)	$6,135
Skilled Nominated (Subclass 190)	$6,140
Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491)	$6,140
Student visa (Subclass 500)	$2,500
Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485)	$5,750
Partner visa	$11,710

The partner visa carries the biggest single government charge in the system. If you are travelling with a spouse or children, every extra family member adds a separate charge on top of the main applicant's figure.

A family example worth running on your own numbers

Take a main applicant, a spouse and a child applying for the Skilled Independent (189) visa. The government charges alone come to $10,745. Write that down as the starting point, then add everything else, because the visa charge is rarely the whole bill.

The costs that sit outside the visa charge

Most Malaysian applicants will meet several of these along the way, and each one has its own price tag:

English language testing. IELTS or PTE may be needed for the visa or by the employer, even if you use English at work every day.
Skills assessments. Tradespeople holding an SKM or another Malaysian qualification are usually assessed again abroad before the qualification is recognised.
Medical exams. Budget for these for every person on the application.
Police clearance. The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) issues the certificate, often called a Certificate of Good Conduct, when one is requested.
Document preparation. Certified copies and English translations of documents in Bahasa Malaysia, where the visa rules ask for them.

Lodged before 1 July 2026? You keep the old charge

An application that went in before 1 July 2026 stays on the old fee, even if it is still being processed. The new charges apply only to applications lodged from 1 July 2026 onward. If your paperwork is nearly ready, that is a fact to know, but it is not a reason to rush an incomplete application.

Demand for skilled workers has not gone away

Higher charges have not changed the shortage. Australia still needs skilled people in carpentry, electrical work, mechanics, welding, chef roles, butchery, HVAC, nursing, engineering and heavy vehicle mechanics. Thousands of employer-sponsored roles remain open to qualified overseas applicants, which is why searches for sponsored jobs for Malaysian tradespeople keep growing.

For a practical next step, look up your visa on the Department of Home Affairs visa listing, write the current charge next to each cost above, and build one total before you commit any money. Deal only with real employers and licensed organisations, and be wary of anyone who asks for payment to secure a job or a visa.

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