Study Visa Costs: US vs UK vs Canada vs Australia

A study-visa cost comparison usually just cites the application fee, which misses the recurring or one-time extras that actually decide the total. Here's what four major English-speaking study destinations charge in official government fees alone, nothing added by a university or an agent.

United States: $535 in flat government fees

An F-1 student visa means the $350 SEVIS I-901 fee, which funds the system tracking international students and is paid once per program, plus the $185 DS-160 application fee, the same fee tourist visa applicants pay. That's $535 minimum in government fees. Health insurance, typically required by the school itself rather than by the government, runs separately, commonly $500 to $3,000 a year depending on the institution, and isn't optional even though it isn't a federal charge. See what a US student needs beyond the fee.

United Kingdom: £558 upfront, then a real annual add-on

The Student visa application fee is £558 as of April 2026. On top of that comes the Immigration Health Surcharge, paid upfront in full for the entire length of the course rather than annually as you go, at roughly £776 per year. A 3-year degree adds close to £2,330 in surcharge alone before a single pound of tuition is counted. Check your own passport against the UK.

Canada: the cheapest of the four by a wide margin

A study permit is CAD $150, plus an $85 biometrics fee for most applicants, CAD $235 in total government fees, a fraction of the other three. Students headed to Quebec add a separate CAD $132 Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) on top. Check your own passport against Canada.

Australia: by far the most expensive, and it just got more so

The Student visa (subclass 500) application fee rose from AUD $2,000 to AUD $2,500 on 1 July 2026, comfortably the most expensive of the four government fees here, roughly five times the US figure and over ten times Canada's. A concessional AUD $2,050 rate applies specifically to ASEAN and ELICOS/non-award students. Check your own passport against Australia.

What the comparison actually shows

The spread between the cheapest government fee here (Canada) and the most expensive (Australia) is more than ten times, before tuition, health cover, or proof-of-funds requirements are even counted. None of these four figures has held still: all four moved within roughly the past two years. Treat every number above as a starting point to verify against the destination's own immigration site at the time of application, not a figure to budget against a year in advance.