From January 1, the cost for someone wanting to migrate to Australia to marry their partner rose to $4627, up 50 per cent from last year’s fee of $3085.

The cost for onshore permanent partner visas has risen from $4575 to $6865.

The price increases announced in December’s mid-year budget review will reap $373.6 million for the government’s budget repair mission over the next four years.

Migration Institute president Angela Chan said the fees were a tax by stealth on vulnerable Australian citizens.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/foreign-affairs/passions-rise-over-visa-fee-hike-for-foreign-spouses/story-fn59nm2j-1227183860773

So choose your partner wisely!

Its not cheap, but the benefits outweigh the cost. Once here she can work, Medicare, every benefit of being an Aussie.

I'd have paid 20grand any day to have my wife live here, and now with our daughter, it's priceless.

We are both 40 and together saving for a future and hopefully end up back in Thailand living on soi easy.

In the scheme of things, the 6 grand is not a lot imo.

The offshore saving is good.

Not sure how they figure that price difference?

So choose your partner wisely!

Its not cheap, but the benefits outweigh the cost. Once here she can work, Medicare, every benefit of being an Aussie.

I'd have paid 20grand any day to have my wife live here, and now with our daughter, it's priceless.

We are both 40 and together saving for a future and hopefully end up back in Thailand living on soi easy.

In the scheme of things, the 6 grand is not a lot imo.

Agreed. The benefits still far outweigh the costs. And in addition to the benefits you listed, the wife also gets 500 hours or so of free English lessons.

Now that the wife has an Aussie passport, no need to spend time and money getting her visas for visits to most other countries too.

Pick carefully.

So choose your partner wisely!

Its not cheap, but the benefits outweigh the cost. Once here she can work, Medicare, every benefit of being an Aussie.

I'd have paid 20grand any day to have my wife live here, and now with our daughter, it's priceless.

We are both 40 and together saving for a future and hopefully end up back in Thailand living on soi easy.

In the scheme of things, the 6 grand is not a lot imo.

Agreed. The benefits still far outweigh the costs. And in addition to the benefits you listed, the wife also gets 500 hours or so of free English lessons.

Now that the wife has an Aussie passport, no need to spend time and money getting her visas for visits to most other countries too.

Pick carefully.

So they should just charge the citizens of non-english speaking countries more. I can't see the justification in the 50% rise considering they already increase the fees every single year anyway.

And "benefits outweigh the costs"? So you think it's legitimate to immigrate to receive benefits do you?

So choose your partner wisely!

Its not cheap, but the benefits outweigh the cost. Once here she can work, Medicare, every benefit of being an Aussie.

I'd have paid 20grand any day to have my wife live here, and now with our daughter, it's priceless.

We are both 40 and together saving for a future and hopefully end up back in Thailand living on soi easy.

In the scheme of things, the 6 grand is not a lot imo.

Agreed. The benefits still far outweigh the costs. And in addition to the benefits you listed, the wife also gets 500 hours or so of free English lessons.

Now that the wife has an Aussie passport, no need to spend time and money getting her visas for visits to most other countries too.

Pick carefully.

So they should just charge the citizens of non-english speaking countries more. I can't see the justification in the 50% rise considering they already increase the fees every single year anyway.

And "benefits outweigh the costs"? So you think it's legitimate to immigrate to receive benefits do you?

I think that you may have misunderstood me. New migrants to Oz are not entitled to receive welfare benefits for two years. Even after two tears, neither the wife nor I ever claimed social security. Indeed, I paid a great deal out in tax.

You may wish to note that the word 'benefits' does not only include social security payments - the benefits I was alluding to are having your wife living with you, getting her an Oz passport, having the peace of mind that she has Medicare coverage, enjoying the same civil rights as the locals, and even English lessons to help her fit in to her new home. Stuff like that.

There's no visa fee differentiation between English speaking and non-English speaking visa applicants as yet, so they all pay the same. You are asking for justification, but we are dealing with the government here so there isn't any - partners trying to import spouses are in a very small minority, hardly likely to sway any election result, and there's nowhere else to go if you don't like it. The government really couldn't care less, so they can double the fee knowing that there will be no consequences. Unfair yes, but there you go.