Australia's 2026 Student Visa Changes, Explained for Brisbane-Bound Students

If you last looked into studying in Australia a couple of years ago — or you're just starting your research now — a few things about the student visa process have changed. Here's what's actually different, in plain terms.

The short answer

Three changes matter most for prospective students right now: the minimum financial proof requirement has risen to roughly AUD $29,710 in annual living costs, the visa application fee has risen to around AUD $2,500 (as of 1 July 2026), and the old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test has been replaced by a Genuine Student requirement.

These are exact figures set by the Australian Government and can change — confirm the current numbers directly on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before relying on them for your own application. The application fee in particular has moved twice in the last 15 months (from $1,600, to $2,000 in July 2025, to around $2,500 in July 2026) — treat any fee figure you read, including this one, as a snapshot rather than a quote.

Financial proof requirement

To be granted a Subclass 500 student visa, you need to demonstrate access to enough money to cover living costs for yourself (and any accompanying family) for the duration of your stay. That threshold currently sits at roughly $29,710 per year — higher than it was in recent years, reflecting the actual cost of living in Australia rather than a fixed historical figure. Bringing a partner or children adds further amounts on top of your own requirement — confirm the current add-on figures for dependants directly on Home Affairs' site rather than assuming a fixed extra.

To put that in context for Brisbane specifically: see our cost of living near Brisbane's universities guide for what that budget actually translates to in weekly rent and transport costs once you're here.

Visa application fee

The visa application charge for a student visa currently sits at around $2,500 for most applicants, following an increase that took effect on 1 July 2026 — up from $2,000 the year before, and $1,600 before that. This fee is separate from tuition and course costs, applies regardless of whether your application is ultimately successful, and is charged at the rate in effect on the date you actually lodge your application, not when you started preparing it. Some applicant categories — including those applying for an ELICOS or non-award course — pay a different fee, so check the fee schedule for your specific application type rather than assuming the headline figure applies to you.

The Genuine Student requirement

The Genuine Student requirement replaced the previous Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test in March 2024. Both serve a similar underlying purpose — assessing whether you genuinely intend to study, rather than using a student visa as a pathway for other purposes — but the newer requirement changes how that's assessed: instead of a standalone statement arguing you intend to leave Australia afterward, it's now a set of structured questions (about your circumstances, course choice, immigration history and career outcomes) answered directly within the visa application itself. If you're preparing an application, treat this as materially different from older guidance you might find online referencing the GTE test by name, since guidance written before the change may not reflect current assessment criteria.

What this means for Brisbane specifically

These changes apply nationally — they're not unique to Queensland or Brisbane — but they directly affect how much you'll need to budget and prepare before arriving. Once you've cleared the visa stage, our other guides cover the Brisbane-specific practicalities: where to live relative to your university and what you're allowed to work once you're here.

Current as of 14 September 2026. Visa fees, financial requirements, and assessment criteria are set by the Australian Government and can change — always confirm current details directly with the Department of Home Affairs before making decisions based on this or any third-party summary.