Summary of Visa Fees: What You Need to Pay for Student Visas in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong

2026-09-26 · Application guides

A consolidated list of official fees related to student visas in the six destinations: US visa application fee $185 plus SEVIS fee $350; UK visa fee £558 plus £776 per year Immigration Health Surcharge; Canada study permit $150 CAD plus biometrics $85 CAD; Australia from 2,500 AUD; Singapore processing fee $45 SGD. Also lists easily overlooked fees and budgeting tips for dependents, medical exams, administrative reviews, extensions, and status restoration.

What fees are required for a student visa? Many people only remember the visa application fee, but there are also the SEVIS fee, healthcare surcharge, biometrics fee, medical exam fee, and insurance fee. You may also need to pay for administrative reviews or status restoration if your visa is denied. This article consolidates the official fees related to student visas for the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong to help you budget. Tuition and living expenses are not covered here; for financial requirements, please see How to Prepare Proof of Financial Support for Your Visa.

1. Overview of Major Visa Fees Across Six Regions

Country/Region	Major Official Fees
United States	Visa application fee $185; SEVIS fee $350 (F-1)
United Kingdom	Visa fee £558; Immigration Health Surcharge £776 per year; Tuberculosis test fee paid directly to the clinic
Canada	Study permit $150 CAD; Biometrics $85 CAD; Medical exam fee paid directly to the panel physician
Australia	Visa fee from $2,500 AUD (effective July 1, 2026); OSHC insurance purchased separately
Singapore	Student's Pass processing fee $45 SGD; Issuance fee $60 SGD
Hong Kong	Subject to announcement by the Hong Kong Immigration Department; after approval, you must also apply for an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and an endorsement

2. United States

Visa application fee: $185 for F-category student visas, payable before the visa interview. Specific payment methods are subject to the instructions from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China;
SEVIS fee (I-901): $350 for F-1 students; generally $220 for J-category exchange visitors ($35 for certain specific programs). Must be paid in full before visa issuance; bring the payment receipt to the interview;
Dependents: The school will issue a separate I-20 for each F-2 dependent, who will also need to apply for a visa;
Health insurance: Not mandatory at the visa level, but usually required by the school; costs vary by institution.

3. United Kingdom

Visa fee: £558 for both overseas applications and in-country extensions;
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £776 per year for students and dependents, calculated based on the actual visa duration. Periods over 6 months but less than a year are charged as one year; up to 18 months is charged as one and a half years, and so on. Not required for overseas applications for visas of 6 months or less. Fully refundable if the visa is refused;
Tuberculosis test: Required for applicants from mainland China and Hong Kong. Fees are determined by the clinic. According to the list published on GOV.UK, the fee at most clinics in mainland China is approximately ¥550 for applicants aged 11 and above;
ATAS certificate: Free, but takes at least 6 weeks to process;
Dependents: £558 visa fee per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge;
Parent of a Child Student visa: £637;
Administrative review after refusal: £80.

The UK visa fee itself is not particularly high, but the Immigration Health Surcharge is charged annually, making it a significant expense for a three-year undergraduate program. You can use the calculator tool on GOV.UK to determine the exact amount before applying.

4. Canada

Study permit: $150 CAD;
Biometrics: $85 CAD, up to a maximum of $170 CAD for a family applying together; biometrics are valid for 10 years;
Medical exam: Paid directly to the panel physician during the exam; costs vary by location;
Study permit extension: $150 CAD;
Restoration of status after permit expiration: $200 CAD, plus $150 CAD for the new study permit;
Application for judicial review to the Federal Court: Application fee $50 CAD (legal fees not included).

5. Australia

Visa fee: Effective July 1, 2026, the student visa fee is from $2,500 AUD (previously $2,000 AUD), with some exemptions;
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): Mandatory and must cover the entire stay in Australia. Prices vary by insurer and coverage period; those bringing dependents must purchase a family policy;
Medical exam: If required, there are additional fees, subject to the Department of Home Affairs' instructions.

6. Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore: Student's Pass processing fee $45 SGD; upon approval in principle, an issuance fee of $60 SGD is required, plus an additional $30 SGD if a multiple-entry visa is needed. Those accepting Tuition Grants (TG) must also consider the 3-year work obligation in Singapore after graduation; see this article on Singapore for details;
Hong Kong: Visa fees are subject to announcement by the Immigration Department; after approval, you must also apply for an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and an endorsement; see this article on Hong Kong for details.

7. Commonly Overlooked Fees

Dependent fees: For each additional dependent, visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge (UK), and insurance (Australia) will increase accordingly;
Medical exams and tests: The UK TB test and Canadian medical exams are paid directly to the medical facilities;
Document preparation: Translation and other related fees;
Reapplication fees: If reapplying after a refusal, the visa fee generally must be paid again. For U.S. 221(g) requests where documents are submitted over a year later, a new application and fee are required;
Renewals and extensions: Extending your visa while studying requires paying the visa fee and related charges again;
Exchange rates: Foreign currency fees are converted at the exchange rate at the time of payment; it is best to leave a buffer in your budget.

8. A Reference Budgeting Approach

When budgeting for visa fees, you can calculate them in the following categories:

Mandatory official fees: Visa fees, SEVIS fees, biometrics fees, etc.;
Duration-based fees: UK Immigration Health Surcharge, Australian OSHC;
Conditional fees: Medical exams, TB tests, dependents, translations;
Contingency fund: Fees for administrative reviews or reapplications in case of a refusal.

Conclusion

Visa fees make up a small portion of overall university education expenses, but there are many items and significant variations by country, making them easy to overlook. More importantly, these fees are subject to change; for example, Australia recently increased its visa fees for 2026. Before applying, always refer to the fees published on the official government websites on that day.

For more visa-related content, check out our Comparison of Student Visas Across Six Regions and Summary of Visa Policy Changes.

Verification note: All fees in this article were verified in September 2026. For the UK, we referenced the GOV.UK pages for student visas, Immigration Health Surcharge, ATAS, administrative review, Parent of a Child Student visa, and the list of approved TB testing clinics in China. For Canada, we referenced the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) study permit application page (updated September 2, 2026), study permit extension page, Help Centre, and the Federal Court of Canada website. For Australia, we referenced the Australian Government's Study Australia website. For the U.S. SEVIS fee, we referenced the ICE website. The Singapore and Hong Kong sections were verified against the corresponding articles on our site. The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy websites use CAPTCHA verification; the U.S. visa application fee was compiled from search snippets of the Department of State website, so please refer to their official site for the most accurate information. Fees are subject to change; please refer to the latest official information.

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