Australia weighs asking student visa applicants to deposit 50-100% of costs

Australia is considering new financial-proof rules for international student visas, including requiring applicants to deposit a large share of their costs in advance, Tuổi Trẻ reports, citing a consultation paper from the Australian Home Affairs department as covered by PIE News. The options have not been adopted. The government is taking comments until 23 November 2026.

Four options are under review. The first would require applicants to deposit 50% of their total tuition and living costs for the whole course in an Australian bank, held for at least one month, with money released on a set schedule. The second would also require 50% but held for three months, without limits on withdrawals.

The third would require 100% of the first year's tuition and living costs, held for three months. The fourth would require no deposit and let applicants prove funds through an education loan, scholarship or other recognised source.

The paper also proposes closer checks of the financial records of applicants from high-risk countries, which could include six months of bank transaction history. The report does not say which countries are in that group, and it does not say whether Vietnam is.

Julian Hill, the assistant minister for international education, said the government wants students to know the financial requirements before they apply: "I still want visa grant rates to improve".

The report gives no figure for Vietnamese students affected. It notes that Vietnamese citizens currently pay a student visa fee of AUD2,050, lower than the usual AUD2,500, and that ASEAN citizens, including Vietnamese, can bring eligible family members when they first apply but cannot add relatives after the visa is granted. Families planning to study in Australia should watch the outcome of the consultation.

Sources

• Du học Úc có thể phải gửi trước 50-100% học phí và sinh hoạt phí (Tuổi Trẻ, November 3, 2026, in Vietnamese)

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