The Department of Immigration has announced the new scale of 1st Visa Application Charges that are taking effect from the 1st of July, 2018.

Charges for the parent visa applications encountered most frequently are increasing as follows:

Subclass 143, Contributory Parent (not the holder of a subclass 173 visa)

• Main applicant – A$3,855 currently A$3,770
• Secondary applicants aged 18 or more – A$1,300 currently A$1,270

Subclass 864, Contributory Aged Parent (not the holder of a subclass 884 visa)

• Main applicant – A$3,855 currently A$3,770
• Secondary applicants aged 18 or more – A$1,925 currently A$1,880

Subclass 804, Aged Parent

• Main applicant – A$4,035 currently A$3,945
• Secondary applicants aged 18 or more – A2,020 currently A$1,975

These VACs are payable when the visa application is lodged with the Department of Home Affairs.

At present there are no announced changes to the 2nd Visa Application Charges, which are payable immediately prior to visa grant.

For now these remain at A$43,600 per person for the subclass 143 and 864 visas, and A$2,065 for the non Contributory subclass 804 visa.

The Explanatory Memorandum to the Regulations which introduces the increases advises:

… the Regulations amend the Migration Regulations to increase first instalment VACs for a number of visas. On 1 July 2017, most VACs were indexed in accordance with the 2017-18 forecast consumer price index (CPI). The Regulations increase the majority of VACs so that they are increased by the 2018‐19 forecast CPI. In effect, this means that the relevant VACs are increased from their baseline 2016-17 amounts by the cumulative total of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 increases. It is intended that these indexation amendments will be made on an annual basis in future.