International graduates and their employers were jolted this week when the Department of Home Affairs doubled the government charge for the popular Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485) to A$4,600, effective 1 March. At the same time, officials confirmed that the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT)—the minimum salary sponsors must pay—will jump to A$79,499 on 1 July 2026.
The 485 visa lets overseas students stay and work in Australia for two to four years after completing their studies. Education agents report some students are scrambling to find the extra A$2,300 within the 30-day grace window to finalise already-lodged applications. For future intakes, universities fear the sudden fee spike may deter price-sensitive students who already face record rents in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
At this juncture, many applicants choose to consult VisaHQ, the online visa-processing platform, which can guide both graduates and sponsoring employers through the updated fee schedule, document requirements and timing traps; its Australia hub (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides step-by-step tools and live support that can streamline 485 or 482 submissions and help users avoid costly mistakes caused by sudden policy shifts.
![Sharp fee hike for Graduate visa and higher salary floor for sponsorships unsettle migrants]()
Employers are equally focused on the looming TSMIT rise. Consultancy Fragomen calculates that around 38 per cent of current 482 visa holders earn salaries below the new threshold and will need pay rises before they can be transferred to permanent residency pathways. Resource-sector employers argue the change will narrow talent pipelines just as major LNG maintenance projects peak in Western Australia.
Home Affairs says the higher income floor is essential to "protect Australian wage integrity" and prevent exploitation, but peak-body Ai Group is calling for transitional arrangements so sponsorship nominations lodged before 1 July are assessed against the old level. Migration agents are advising clients to lodge 482 nominations early or consider state-nominated Subclass 190 pathways, which are not bound by TSMIT.
The combined effect of higher application costs and salary thresholds is expected to cool overall temporary-migration numbers, in line with the government’s target of bringing net overseas migration back under 300,000 by 2027, while still attracting top-end talent prepared to meet the new thresholds.
The 485 visa lets overseas students stay and work in Australia for two to four years after completing their studies. Education agents report some students are scrambling to find the extra A$2,300 within the 30-day grace window to finalise already-lodged applications. For future intakes, universities fear the sudden fee spike may deter price-sensitive students who already face record rents in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
At this juncture, many applicants choose to consult VisaHQ, the online visa-processing platform, which can guide both graduates and sponsoring employers through the updated fee schedule, document requirements and timing traps; its Australia hub (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides step-by-step tools and live support that can streamline 485 or 482 submissions and help users avoid costly mistakes caused by sudden policy shifts.
Employers are equally focused on the looming TSMIT rise. Consultancy Fragomen calculates that around 38 per cent of current 482 visa holders earn salaries below the new threshold and will need pay rises before they can be transferred to permanent residency pathways. Resource-sector employers argue the change will narrow talent pipelines just as major LNG maintenance projects peak in Western Australia.
Home Affairs says the higher income floor is essential to "protect Australian wage integrity" and prevent exploitation, but peak-body Ai Group is calling for transitional arrangements so sponsorship nominations lodged before 1 July are assessed against the old level. Migration agents are advising clients to lodge 482 nominations early or consider state-nominated Subclass 190 pathways, which are not bound by TSMIT.
The combined effect of higher application costs and salary thresholds is expected to cool overall temporary-migration numbers, in line with the government’s target of bringing net overseas migration back under 300,000 by 2027, while still attracting top-end talent prepared to meet the new thresholds.
