Australian visa costs for Irish citizens

What the government fee does not cover

The visa application charge is usually the largest single cost, but it is rarely the only one. Depending on the visa, budget for some or all of the following on top of the figures above.

• Health examinations. Where required, these must be done by an approved panel physician rather than your own GP, and you pay the clinic directly. More likely for longer stays, older applicants and permanent visas.
• Police certificates. Irish applicants normally supply Garda vetting, plus a certificate from any other country lived in for 12 months or more. Each country has its own process, cost and turnaround.
• Skills assessment. Required for skilled and some employer-sponsored visas. The cost is set by the assessing authority for your occupation and varies widely between them.
• English testing. An Irish passport satisfies the English requirement on most visas, so this is usually avoidable. The exception is the points test, where competent English scores zero points and a test may be worth sitting anyway.
• Overseas Student Health Cover. A condition of the student visa for the full length of the visa, and a substantial cost rather than an optional extra. Irish students are not exempt.
• Additional applicants. Partners and children included in an application each carry their own charge, typically at a reduced rate for children.
• Document costs. Certified copies, translations where relevant, and replacing an expired passport.

Costs your employer pays, not you

On the Skills in Demand visa and Employer Nomination Scheme, the sponsorship and nomination charges and the Skilling Australians Fund levy are legally the employer's to pay. It is unlawful for them to pass those costs on to you, and an employer asking you to cover them is a warning sign about the wider arrangement. You pay your own visa application charge.

Paying in Australian dollars from Ireland

All charges are set and paid in Australian dollars, so what you actually pay in euro depends on the exchange rate on the day and on your card provider's foreign transaction fee. On a partner visa that difference can run to a few hundred euro on its own. A card with low or no FX fees is worth using for the payment.

The charge is not refunded if you are refused

This is the part that catches people out. The visa application charge buys an assessment, not an outcome. If your application is refused it is not normally refunded, and reapplying means paying again in full. Withdrawing an application does not usually trigger a refund either.

It is the main reason we would rather tell you a case looks weak before you lodge than after. On the cheaper visas the risk is modest; on a partner visa at AUD 11,710 a refused application is an expensive way to learn that the evidence was thin.

Where the real gap is

The spread across these visas is enormous. The eVisitor is free, the Working Holiday visa is modest, and the partner visa is the most expensive application most people will ever lodge. If cost is driving your decision, it is worth checking whether a cheaper visa actually achieves what you need before committing — our visa checker is a reasonable starting point.