Australia’s Department of Home Affairs announced a lower Student visa (subclass 500) application fee for citizens of 23 nations across the Pacific Islands, Timor‑Leste and the ASEAN bloc.

The standard charge for the primary applicant is AUD 2,500 (about KSh 215,000); eligible nationals will pay a reduced amount, though the exact reduced figure is not specified in the source.

Eligibility is determined automatically by the online ImmiAccount system, which checks the passport country of the applicant and applies the concession without a separate discount request.

The concession covers 13 Pacific Island nations and Timor‑Leste, listed as Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and Timor‑Leste.

In addition, ten ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – are also eligible, with Timor‑Leste counted under the Pacific Island rate.

Family members included in the same application can also benefit from the reduced fee, provided they are listed on the primary applicant’s ImmiAccount submission.

The lower charge also applies to applications for the Independent English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and Non‑Award courses, which do not lead to a formal Australian qualification.

Applicants must still satisfy all standard visa requirements; the fee concession does not guarantee visa approval.

Prospective students are advised to verify the exact reduced fee and any additional eligibility conditions directly with the Australian Department of Home Affairs before submitting their application.