Planning a move to Australia starts with one practical question: how much is this going to cost? The cost of a working visa for Australia varies significantly depending on the visa subclass you apply for, and fees change with each fiscal year. Whether you’re a skilled worker, an employer looking to sponsor staff, or someone chasing a working holiday, understanding the full cost upfront helps you budget properly and avoid surprises.
Australian visa fees go beyond just the base application charge. You’ll also need to factor in health examinations, skills assessments, English language tests, and, in many cases, professional migration advice. These additional expenses can add thousands of dollars to your total outlay, so it pays to know exactly what you’re signing up for before you hit "submit."
At Simon Mander Consulting, we’ve spent over 22 years helping thousands of people secure Australian visas, from straightforward working holiday applications to complex employer-sponsored and skilled migration cases. We put this guide together based on that hands-on experience, covering every major working visa category, their 2026 government fees, and the extra costs most applicants forget about. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of what to expect financially so you can plan your Australian move with confidence.
How Australian work visa costs work in 2026
The cost of a working visa for Australia is not a single flat fee. The Department of Home Affairs uses a tiered pricing structure where each visa subclass carries its own base charge, and additional costs stack on top depending on your personal situation. Knowing how the system is structured before you start saves you from budgeting too low and scrambling mid-application.
The government fee structure
The Department of Home Affairs sets visa application charges (VACs) for each subclass, and these fees increase every July 1 at the start of the Australian fiscal year. The 2026 fees reflect the most recent indexation. Below is a snapshot of the main working visa categories and their current base fees:
| Visa Subclass | Visa Type | Base Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 417 | Working Holiday | $510 |
| Subclass 462 | Work and Holiday | $510 |
| Subclass 482 | Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) | $1,455 (Medium-term stream) |
| Subclass 494 | Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional | $4,770 |
| Subclass 186 | Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) | $4,770 |
| Subclass 189 | Skilled Independent | $4,770 |
| Subclass 190 | Skilled Nominated | $4,770 |
| Subclass 491 | Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) | $4,770 |
These figures cover the primary applicant only. Each secondary applicant (a partner or child you include) adds a further charge, typically 50% of the base fee for adults and 25% for children under 18.
Always verify the current fee on the official Department of Home Affairs website before you lodge, since fees update on July 1 each year without advance warning to applicants.
What drives the total cost beyond the base fee
Your base application fee is rarely the largest item in your budget once you add everything else. Skills assessments for trades and professions range from $300 to over $1,000 depending on the assessing authority. English language tests such as IELTS or PTE cost between $300 and $400 per sitting, and you may need to sit more than once if your score falls short the first time.
Health examinations are mandatory for most working visas and cost between $300 and $500 per adult, with chest X-rays billed separately in some cases. Police clearance certificates from every country where you’ve lived for 12 months or more add further fees, typically $20 to $100 per country depending on the issuing authority.
How to get an accurate cost estimate before you commit
Start by identifying the exact visa subclass you plan to apply for, then use the following process to build your budget:
- Check the current VAC on the Department of Home Affairs immi.homeaffairs.gov.au fee schedule.
- List every family member you plan to include and apply the correct secondary applicant fee.
- Confirm whether your occupation requires a formal skills assessment and contact the relevant authority for their current fee.
- Book your English language test only after confirming the minimum score required for your visa subclass.
- Factor in migration agent fees if you plan to use professional help, which we cover in Step 3.
Working through this checklist before you start gives you a realistic total rather than a figure that grows as you go.
Step 1. Choose the right work visa pathway
The visa pathway you choose shapes your entire cost structure, from the base application fee down to whether you need a formal skills assessment. Picking the wrong subclass wastes both time and money, so spend a few minutes confirming your fit before you calculate anything else about the cost of a working visa for Australia.
The three main working visa categories
Australian working visas fall into three broad categories based on who drives the application and what your work goals are. Knowing which one fits your situation immediately narrows down your fee table.
- Working Holiday visas (Subclass 417 and 462): For people aged 18 to 30 (or 35 for some passport holders) who want to work while traveling. These carry the lowest fees of any working pathway.
- Employer-sponsored visas (Subclass 482, 494, 186): Your Australian employer nominates you for a specific role. The employer often covers part or all of the visa application charge, which changes your out-of-pocket cost significantly.
- Skilled migration visas (Subclass 189, 190, 491): You apply based on your occupation, a formal skills assessment, and a points score, with no sponsoring employer required.
How to confirm your eligibility before you apply
Applying for the wrong subclass is one of the most common and costly mistakes applicants make. Run through this checklist before you lodge anything:
- Check your passport country and age against the Working Holiday eligible countries list on the Department of Home Affairs website.
- Search your occupation on the relevant skilled occupation list (the list you use depends on the subclass you’re targeting).
- Confirm whether your employer holds approved sponsor status if you’re pursuing an employer-sponsored route.
- Run your points score through the SkillSelect points test if you’re targeting a skilled migration visa.
If your occupation does not appear on the relevant skilled occupation list, you cannot apply for a points-tested skilled visa regardless of your qualifications or experience.
Step 2. Check the base application fee for your visa
Once you know your visa pathway, you can pin down the exact government charge that applies to your subclass. The base application fee is the starting point for calculating the total cost of a working visa for Australia, and getting this figure right early stops you from under-budgeting before you even begin.
Working Holiday visa fees
The Working Holiday category carries the lowest base fees of any Australian working visa, making it the most accessible entry point for younger applicants. Both subclasses are charged at the same rate regardless of your passport country.
| Visa Subclass | Type | Primary Applicant Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 417 | Working Holiday | $510 |
| Subclass 462 | Work and Holiday | $510 |
These visas are single-applicant only, meaning you cannot include a partner or child on the same application. If your partner also wants to work and travel in Australia, they need to lodge their own separate application and pay the fee independently.
Employer-sponsored and skilled migration fees
Employer-sponsored and skilled migration visas sit in a significantly higher fee bracket, which reflects the longer processing pathway and the permanent residence options many of these subclasses carry. Below is the current fee schedule for the main subclasses in these two categories.
| Visa Subclass | Type | Primary Applicant (AUD) | Secondary Adult (AUD) | Secondary Child (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 482 | TSS Medium-term | $1,455 | $1,455 | $365 |
| Subclass 494 | Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional | $4,770 | $2,385 | $1,195 |
| Subclass 186 | Employer Nomination Scheme | $4,770 | $2,385 | $1,195 |
| Subclass 189 | Skilled Independent | $4,770 | $2,385 | $1,195 |
| Subclass 190 | Skilled Nominated | $4,770 | $2,385 | $1,195 |
| Subclass 491 | Skilled Work Regional | $4,770 | $2,385 | $1,195 |
For employer-sponsored visas, confirm with your employer whether they will cover the nomination fee and the application charge before you agree to any cost-sharing arrangement.
Families applying together need to add each secondary applicant’s fee to the primary applicant charge before they have an accurate government fee total.
Step 3. Add the extra costs most people forget
The base application fee covers your government charge, but it does not cover everything you need to lodge a complete application. For most applicants, the total cost of a working visa for Australia runs well above that starting figure once you add the mandatory supporting requirements. Tracking every item in a dedicated budget spreadsheet from day one keeps you from running short at a critical point in the process.
Skills assessments and English language tests
Your skills assessment is often the single largest additional cost in a skilled migration application. Assessing authorities charge different rates depending on your profession, so confirm the exact fee directly with the body that covers your occupation. The table below gives you a reliable planning baseline.
| Assessing Authority | Occupation Group | Approximate Fee (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) | Trades | $400-$800 |
| Engineers Australia | Engineering | $800-$1,000 |
| ANMAC | Nursing and Midwifery | $500-$700 |
| Australian Computer Society (ACS) | ICT | $500-$530 |
English language tests such as IELTS or PTE Academic cost between $300 and $400 per sitting, and many applicants need at least two attempts to hit the minimum score their visa subclass requires.
Budget for two English test sittings upfront so a single low score does not push your entire timeline back by months.
Health examinations and character checks
Every working visa applicant must complete a health examination with a Department of Home Affairs-approved panel physician before their visa can be granted. That examination costs between $300 and $500 per adult, with chest X-rays billed separately in some cases.
Police clearance certificates add another layer to your total. You need one from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more since turning 16. Australian Federal Police checks cost $42, while international clearances range from $20 to $100 per country depending on the issuing authority, plus translation fees if the document is not in English.
Step 4. Estimate your total budget and timeline
Now that you have the base fee, secondary applicant charges, skills assessment costs, health examination fees, and police clearance charges mapped out, you can pull everything into a single working budget. This final step turns all those individual numbers into one realistic figure that covers the full cost of a working visa for Australia from start to grant.
Build your total cost estimate
Use the budget template below to track every cost item against your chosen visa subclass. Fill in your own figures where indicated, and add rows if your situation calls for extra items such as document translation or a second English test sitting.
| Cost Item | Your Amount (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Base application fee (primary applicant) | $ |
| Secondary applicant fees (adults) | $ |
| Secondary applicant fees (children) | $ |
| Skills assessment fee | $ |
| English language test (allow for 2 sittings) | $ |
| Health examination per adult | $ |
| Chest X-ray (if billed separately) | $ |
| Police clearances (all countries) | $ |
| Document translation | $ |
| Migration agent fee | $ |
| Total estimated budget | $ |
Keep a 10 to 15% contingency on top of your total to cover unexpected re-tests, additional document requests, or fee indexation if your application spans a July 1 fiscal year cutover.
Factor in processing times when planning your finances
Processing times vary significantly by visa subclass, and that gap directly affects when you need each dollar available. Working Holiday visas typically process in less than a week once lodged, while skilled migration and employer-sponsored pathways can take anywhere from three months to over a year.
Plan your cash flow around the payment sequence, not just the final total. Skills assessment and English test fees come first, often six to twelve months before you lodge. Health examinations and police clearances follow closer to lodgement. Mapping these timing windows into your savings plan ensures no single payment catches you short at a critical stage.
Next steps
You now have a complete breakdown of the cost of a working visa for Australia, from base government fees to the supporting costs most applicants miss. The next move is to take that information and turn it into a concrete plan. Start by identifying your visa subclass, then build your budget using the template in Step 4, and confirm current fees directly with the Department of Home Affairs before you lodge anything.
Getting the numbers right is only part of the work. Choosing the correct visa pathway and avoiding application mistakes that trigger refusals or delays can save you far more than any fee comparison. With over 22 years of hands-on migration experience, Simon Mander Consulting has helped thousands of applicants navigate exactly this process, from the first cost calculation through to the visa grant. If you want expert guidance tailored to your specific situation, contact Simon Mander Consulting to get started.