Find your subclass, stream and lodgement location
First confirm the visa route for your passport and purpose. Some subclasses have multiple streams with different charges. Home Affairs publishes prices in Australian dollars and distinguishes applications made inside and outside Australia. Your country of residence alone does not set the charge; the application you make and where you make it matter. Its current pricing-table guidance also flags possible lower charges for eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste or ASEAN member countries on some visas. Check the exact visa note rather than assuming a discount from where you live.
Home Affairs says visa charges change from time to time. The charge depends on the date it receives your application; if the price rises between lodgement and receipt, the new charge can apply. Recheck the live price and payment limit immediately before submitting.
Could your Student visa cost be lower?
Home Affairs says a lower Student 500 application charge applies to eligible holders of valid passports from its listed Pacific Island, Timor-Leste and ASEAN countries. It also describes a lower charge for valid applications in the Independent ELICOS and Non-Award sectors. Citizenship and the passport used for the application matter for the country concession; living in a listed country with a different passport does not establish it. Read the current Student 500 Cost section for the exact country and sector lists.
Home Affairs says ImmiAccount recognises an eligible passport and applies the lower charge during the application. Its page also says a family member in a permitted combined application can receive the applicable lower charge based on the primary applicant's passport. Since 2 October 2026, most new Student applications cannot include family, and new subsequent entrants are unavailable; check the current family exemption and transition rules before adding any person. A fee concession does not itself make a family application valid. Check the amount shown in your own ImmiAccount application before paying; this guide does not quote a fixed discounted price.
Use the estimator as a starting figure
Enter the correct visa details in the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator. It gives a basic estimate, not a personal bill or an eligibility decision. Cross-check the current Visa Pricing Table and its notes if your subclass has more than one base charge, your application may attract a subsequent temporary application charge, or you hope to include family members on a visa that does not permit a combined application.
The estimator does not include every possible cost. Some visas have a second instalment payable before grant, and a sponsor or nominator may have separate fees. Home Affairs says it will tell you if and when a second instalment is due.
Open the official estimator · Open the current pricing table · Read the estimator limits
Family listed on a form is not always an additional applicant
For a visa that permits a combined application, the main applicant may pay the base charge and each person actually applying with them may attract an additional applicant charge. The amount can depend on the visa, age and location. Merely listing non-migrating family members because a form asks about your family does not itself make them additional visa applicants. Some visas require separate applications instead.
If applying for a further temporary visa while in Australia, check whether the subsequent temporary application charge applies to each person in the application. It depends on the visa type, prior visa history and exceptions; do not add it automatically or assume it can never apply. The official pricing table and calculation guidance control.
Additional applicant guidance · Subsequent temporary charge rules · Current pricing table
Check the final amount before submitting
A surcharge may apply if you pay visa, sponsorship or nomination charges by credit card or PayPal. Check Home Affairs' current surcharge page and make sure your payment method has enough available funds and a sufficient daily limit. The visa application charge is only part of some applicants' budget: any health examinations, translations, police documents, course or insurance costs and paid assistance depend on the route and your situation. Do not treat the estimator as a complete trip or migration budget.
Home Affairs says an application is not valid until the required charge is received in full; an underpayment can delay processing. Keep your own payment record and follow the instructions shown in your actual application.
A refusal or change of mind usually does not return the fee
The application charge pays for assessment and validation. Home Affairs says it does not refund that charge simply because an application is refused or unsuccessful, or because you change your mind. Its refund page explains the circumstances in which a refund may be considered and how to request one. Cancelling or reversing a payment can affect application validity and may create a debt; use the official process if you believe a refund is due.
Before paying a third-party website or adviser, check which service they are providing and whether the visa itself must be lodged through ImmiAccount or the official Australian ETA app. A paid intermediary cannot guarantee approval or faster processing.
Official refund guidance · If you need to withdraw an undecided application → · ETA, eVisitor and Visitor 600 costs →
Bank payment processed, but the status hasn’t changed?
For a declined payment, check the card details and ask your bank. “Error Performing Card Authentication” concerns the bank’s 3DS authentication. If the bank has processed payment but ImmiAccount has not changed to Received, Home Affairs directs you to its technical support form. A pending bank authorisation is different from a processed payment.
Keep your private payment record and the exact error or status. Do not send card numbers, security codes or banking passwords to MyAusVisa.
Official payment-error steps · ImmiAccount payment support · Prepare a technical-issue record →
Five things to verify before you pay
Write down your exact subclass and stream, where you will apply, who is applying, whether later charges apply, and the total shown by Home Affairs at submission. Keep the result in your own records.