Appendix A: Revenue Measures (Continued)
Immigration and Citizenship
Visa Pricing Transformation
| 2010‑11 | 2011‑12 | 2012‑13 | 2013‑14 | 2014-15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Immigration and Citizenship |
- | 5.9 | 53.9 | 276.7 | 276.8 |
| Related expense ($m) | |||||
| Department of Immigration and Citizenship |
- | 7.4 | 23.3 | 17.6 | 11.5 |
| Related capital ($m) | |||||
| Department of Immigration and Citizenship |
- | 9.3 | 24.5 | 5.8 | 0.8 |
The Government will restructure visa application charges (VACs) bringing them into line with international benchmarks, increasing revenue by $613.3 million over four years. This measure is also intended to encourage online processing, resulting in a more efficient and sustainable visa processing system.
Where it doesn't already occur, charging for all visa applications will take place on an individual rather than on an application basis. Charges will also be introduced for the following circumstances: additional dependents, subsequent onshore applications, 457 visa duration, visa labels, and lodging paper applications where an online facility is available. Changes to the validity period for Resident Return Visas will also be reduced from five years to one year where the permanent visa holder has not lived in Australia for more than two of the last five years.
Base VACs will increase by at least the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with the exception of student visas (where the base VAC will decrease by five per cent) to support the competiveness of Australia's international education sector, in line with the recommendations of the Knight Review.
The measure will be implemented in three phases, with base VAC increases for benchmarked subclasses coming into effect on 1 January 2012; CPI adjustments to the remainder of the visa subclasses and visa evidence charges from 1 July 2012; and the remaining surcharges from 1 July 2013. Humanitarian visas will not be affected by these changes.
The Government will provide $100.1 million (including $40.4 million in capital funds) over four years to implement requisite information technology changes and support business processes.
See also the related expense measure titled Student Visa Simplification.
A list of visa application charges is available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website: www.immi.gov.au.
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