July 1 is the single most important date in the Australian calendar if you're on a student or graduate visa. It's the day visa fees reset, the minimum wage jumps, tax brackets shift, OSHC gets re-priced, and — in 2026 — several migration rules that have been quietly announced through Home Affairs actually take effect.

If you're studying here, planning to arrive, on a 485, or working toward PR, this page is the one-stop summary. We've cross-checked every number against Home Affairs, the Fair Work Commission, the ATO, and the Department of Education so you can budget and plan with confidence.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Immigration rules move. Everything below is accurate at the time of publishing (June 25, 2026). Always verify against homeaffairs.gov.au, fairwork.gov.au and ato.gov.au before making a visa or financial decision.

The 60-second summary

Change	From (30 June 2026)	From (1 July 2026)
Student visa (500) application fee	$1,600	$2,000
485 Graduate visa fee	$2,235	$2,395
Minimum financial capacity (single student, 12 months)	$29,710	$31,860
National minimum wage (per hour)	$24.10	$25.05
Casual minimum (25% loading)	$30.13	$31.31
Tax-free threshold	$18,200	$18,200 (unchanged)
Superannuation Guarantee	12%	12% (unchanged since 1 July 2025)
OSHC (single, 12 months, indicative)	~$720	~$780
Student visa work hours cap	48 hrs / fortnight	48 hrs / fortnight (unchanged)
PR (189/190/491) points test	Unchanged	Unchanged, but occupation list refresh

The rest of this guide walks through each of these in detail, with worked examples.

1. Student visa (subclass 500) fee — jumps to $2,000

The student visa application fee is being indexed again on July 1, 2026, rising from $1,600 to $2,000 for the primary applicant. This is the third major fee increase in three years (it was $650 as recently as June 2024).

What this means for you:

• If you're applying for a new student visa (first application from offshore, or a subsequent visa onshore), lodging on or before June 30, 2026 saves you $400.
• If your current visa expires after October 2026 and you already have a valid CoE for the next course, you can lodge early to lock in the lower fee.
• Secondary applicants (partner, dependent child) will also see proportional increases — expect around $1,470 for a partner and $360 per child.

Do this before July 1:

1. Log into ImmiAccount and check your current visa expiry.
2. If your next course starts before September 2026, ask your provider to release your CoE early.
3. Get your OSHC quote and Genuine Student (GS) statement drafted now — visa lodgement takes 1–2 hours once documents are ready.

See our full student visa fee explainer for the historical trend and refund rules.

2. Financial capacity requirement — rises to $31,860

Every student visa applicant must prove they can support themselves for 12 months. From July 1, 2026, that minimum for a single primary applicant rises from $29,710 to $31,860 — a 7.2% increase reflecting Australian cost-of-living data from 2025.

The full 2026 numbers:

Applicant	Annual amount (from 1 July 2026)
Primary applicant	$31,860
Partner / spouse	$11,150
First child	$4,780
Each additional child	$4,780
Return travel (from most SE Asian countries)	$2,500
Return travel (from Europe / Americas)	$3,000
School fees per school-age child	$13,502

How you prove it: money in a genuine savings account for at least 3 months, an approved education loan, government sponsorship, or a family declaration backed by evidence of the sponsor's income (typically 6 months of pay slips + bank statements).

The number one refusal reason under the Genuine Student (GS) test in 2025 was inconsistent financial evidence — a large deposit landing 2 weeks before lodgement almost always triggers extra scrutiny. Season your funds now if you plan to apply in Q3 or Q4 2026.

3. Minimum wage — $25.05 per hour

The Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review lifted the national minimum wage to $25.05 per hour from July 1, 2026. That flows through to the casual minimum (with 25% loading) of $31.31 per hour.

What you'll actually see in your pay:

Role (award minimum)	Base rate	Casual rate (Sat)	Casual rate (Sun)
Retail Level 1	$25.05	$37.58	$50.10
Fast Food Level 1	$25.05	$37.58	$50.10
Hospitality Grade 1 (Bar/Cafe)	$25.36	$38.04	$44.38
Cleaning Services Level 1	$25.62	$38.43	$51.24
Aged Care Support (Cert III)	$28.16	$42.24	$56.32

Full breakdown with award-by-award numbers is in our wage calculator — it auto-updates on July 1.

If you're already employed: your pay rise is automatic. If it doesn't appear in your first July payslip, ask your employer politely (in writing) and reference the Fair Work pay guide for your award. Underpayment is illegal regardless of your visa status — you can recover unpaid wages up to 6 years back.

Working hour reminder: the 48 hours per fortnight cap for student visa holders in-semester remains unchanged in July 2026. There is no cap during official study breaks. See our work hours guide for what counts as "in-semester" if you're a Master's by Research or PhD student (spoiler: unlimited).

4. Tax changes from 1 July 2026

The new financial year brings modest changes rather than another round of the Stage 3 cuts (those took effect on 1 July 2024).

2026–27 resident tax brackets (unchanged from 2025–26):

Taxable income	Tax rate
$0 – $18,200	0%
$18,201 – $45,000	16%
$45,001 – $135,000	30%
$135,001 – $190,000	37%
$190,001+	45%

What did change:

• Medicare Levy low-income threshold rises slightly (indexed) — most students earning under ~$27,000 pay no Medicare levy.
• Low Income Tax Offset (LITO) remains at $700 maximum, phasing out from $37,500.
• Working Holiday Maker (417/462) rates unchanged — 15% on the first $45,000, then resident brackets. Student visa holders are almost always residents for tax purposes if they're here on a course >6 months — this is different from your migration status. Check with our tax estimate calculator.

If you're on a 485 or transitioning: your tax residency doesn't change on the day your visa flips. It's based on the 183-day test and where your home is. Most 485 holders remain residents for tax purposes.

5. Superannuation Guarantee — stays at 12%

Super hit its final legislated rate of 12% on July 1, 2025, and it stays there in 2026. If you earn any wage in Australia, your employer must pay an additional 12% of your ordinary earnings into a super fund on your behalf.

For international students, three things matter:

1. You get to keep it (or claim it back). If you leave Australia permanently, you can claim your super back through the DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment) — but 65% is withheld as tax for former temporary residents. Rolling it into your PR pathway and keeping it invested until retirement is usually a much better outcome if you plan to stay long-term.
2. Consolidate your accounts. Every casual job you take often opens a new super fund. Log into myGov → ATO → Super to consolidate — you could be losing $8–$15 per month per duplicate account in fees.
3. The stapling rule. Since Nov 2021, your first super fund follows you between jobs unless you actively choose a different one. This is good — it prevents duplicate accounts if you don't fill in the choice-of-fund form.

6. OSHC premium changes

Overseas Student Health Cover premiums are set individually by the five approved providers (Bupa, Medibank, Allianz Care, ahm OSHC and NIB). All five have flagged 6–10% premium increases effective July 1, 2026, driven by higher hospital claim costs and the ongoing indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

Indicative single-student annual premiums (12 months) from July 1, 2026:

Provider	2025 (indicative)	2026 (indicative)
Allianz Care	$665	$720
Bupa	$735	$790
Medibank	$745	$805
ahm OSHC	$685	$740
NIB	$675	$725

Money-saving actions:

• Renew or pre-pay 24–36 months of OSHC before June 30, 2026 to lock in the current rate.
• Compare providers directly — most universities auto-bundle Bupa or Medibank, which are rarely the cheapest.
• If your partner or child is joining you on a dependent visa, a family or couples policy is 20–35% cheaper than two singles.

Our OSHC comparison guide is refreshed with the July 1 numbers.

7. PR points test and skilled occupation list

Good news: the points test itself is unchanged for 189, 190 and 491 visas in July 2026. Same age, English, work experience, education and partner points as before.

What is changing on July 1, 2026:

• CSOL (Core Skills Occupation List) refresh. Jobs and Skills Australia has flagged additions in cyber security, aged care nursing, early childhood teaching, plumbing, and electrical trades. A small number of ICT and business-analyst codes are being downgraded.
• State nomination programs open for the new program year on or shortly after July 1. Every state resets its allocations — this is the best time of year to submit an EOI if your occupation is on multiple lists.
• 489/491 regional postcodes unchanged, but two Victorian LGAs (Ballarat and Bendigo) confirmed for the next 12 months of regional weighting.

Run the PR points calculator with your updated numbers and re-lodge your EOI if your score has moved. Skillselect invitation rounds resume mid-July.

8. What else is changing (smaller items)

• Medicare Levy Surcharge thresholds indexed up — singles earning under $97,000 are unaffected.
• HELP loan indexation applied on June 1 — your outstanding balance already increased by around 3.2%. From July 1 the indexation formula uses the lower of CPI or WPI, per the 2024 reforms.
• Passenger Movement Charge (departure tax) rises from $70 to $80 on flights departing after July 1.
• eVisa Verification Online (VEVO) interface refresh — same functionality, new URL. Your visa grant notice PDF remains the authoritative document.

What to do this week (June 25 – July 1)

1. Lodge any pending visa applications by June 30 if the new fee would apply to you.
2. Renew OSHC before June 30 to lock in 2025 pricing.
3. Take a screenshot of your bank balance now for financial capacity records.
4. Update your PR points calculator — English test scores expire after 3 years; check your PTE/IELTS validity.
5. Check your super account in myGov and consolidate duplicates before the end-of-year statement lands.
6. Bookmark this page — we update it every 4 weeks throughout 2026 as ministerial instruments and Fair Work rulings roll out.

What to do in your first July payslip

• Check your hourly base rate matches the new $25.05 (or your award minimum) minimum.
• Check your super contribution is 12% of ordinary earnings.
• If you had HELP debt, confirm the correct compulsory repayment rate is being withheld.
• If you switched jobs recently, make sure your TFN declaration is in and you're not being taxed at 47%.

The bigger picture

The last three July 1s have all made student life in Australia meaningfully more expensive: visa fees up 200% since 2023, financial capacity up 27%, OSHC up around 30%. At the same time, minimum wages have grown ~15% and super hit 12%. Net-net, working-and-studying still adds up for most students, but the margin is thinner than it was three years ago — and the students who plan around the July 1 calendar (renewing before, budgeting after) are the ones who don't get caught out.

If you want the personalised version of this, complete your Student Identity profile and our dashboard will surface only the changes that apply to your visa, university, city and course intake.