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Australia or Another Country? Visa Costs, Living Funds, Work Hours and Post-Study Stays Compared for Indian Students

Australia asks more of an Indian student than any other major destination at the start: the highest student visa fee, the highest living-funds figure and some of the highest tuition. It also gives more at the end: a 485 visa of three years after a master's and four after a PhD, longer than the UK's graduate visa and fixed by treaty for Indian citizens.

Leonid Kurza, co-founder of EdumappleBy Leonid Kurza · co-founder of Edumapple · checked

  • A$2,500Australian student visa
  • GBP 558UK student visa
  • CAD 150Canadian study permit
  • 3 yearsAustralian 485 after a master's for Indians

The numbers side by side

CountryStudent visaLiving funds to showTerm-time workAfter a master's
AustraliaA$2,500A$29,710 a year48 hours a fortnight485: 3 years for Indians
CanadaCAD 150 + CAD 85 biometricsCAD 23,448 a year24 hours a weekPGWP up to 3 years
UKGBP 558GBP 1,529 a month London, GBP 1,171 elsewhere, up to 9 months20 hours a weekGraduate visa 18 months from 2027
New ZealandNZ$850NZ$20,000 a year25 hours a weekUp to 3 years
IrelandEUR 60 visa + EUR 300 registrationEUR 10,000 a year20 hours a weekStamp 1G 24 months (level 9)
GermanyEUR 75EUR 11,904 blocked account140 full days a year18 months to find work
USAUS$185As shown on the I-2020 hours on campusOPT 12 months; STEM +24

Each country's own immigration pages, read on 29 October 2026. Fees change, usually once a year.

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  • Tuition and the visa living funds, counted in rupees
  • GS answers, visa timing and your 485 plan
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Where Australia wins and loses

It wins on post-study time for Indian citizens, on wages (a minimum of ₹1,770 (A$26.44) an hour) and on the size of the Indian community. It loses on the cost of entry and, since late 2025, on visa certainty: Home Affairs granted 59.5% of offshore Indian student applications decided in the last quarter of 2025. Choose it when the course and the post-study plan justify the price.

Questions from Indian students: Australia compared

Is Australia better than Canada for Indian students?
Australia gives a longer guaranteed post-study visa after a master's for Indian citizens (three years, against up to three in Canada for programmes of two years or more) and higher wages; Canada costs less to enter and has clearer routes to permanent residence for many graduates.
Which country is cheapest to study in for Indians?
Germany, where public universities charge little or no tuition; the blocked account is EUR 11,904 a year. Australia is among the most expensive, with tuition of A$31,000–66,000 a year and A$29,710 in living funds.
Which country gives the longest post-study work visa?
For Indian citizens, Australia after a PhD (four years). After a master's: Australia three years, Canada up to three, New Zealand up to three, the UK 18 months from 2027, Ireland 24 months, Germany 18 months to find work, the USA 12 months of OPT (36 for STEM).
Where can students work the most hours?
Australia's 48 hours a fortnight and Canada's 24 hours a week are the most generous term-time limits; the UK and Ireland allow 20 hours, New Zealand 25.
Which countries are compared on this site?
Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany and the United States, each on its own page.

Sources we checked