What changed, and what is about to

Every change below is taken from an official source cited in the country guide. A rule that changed after you started planning is one of the most common reasons a visa is refused.

In short: the next student visa and fee changes in our guides are New Zealand, 16 November 2026: Level 7 graduate diploma graduates who already hold a bachelor's become eligible for the post-study work visa; United Kingdom, 30 November 2026: Maintenance rises from GBP 1,529 to GBP 1,570 a month in London and from GBP 1,171 to GBP 1,203 outside; Malaysia, 31 December 2026: Graduate Pass eligibility for Chinese and Indian nationals, decided case by case, ends on this date. 10 changes are announced in all, each from an official source cited in the country guide.

The next 10 changes, by date

From	Country	What changes
16 November 2026	New Zealand	Level 7 graduate diploma graduates who already hold a bachelor's become eligible for the post-study work visa.
30 November 2026	United Kingdom	Maintenance rises from GBP 1,529 to GBP 1,570 a month in London and from GBP 1,171 to GBP 1,203 outside.
31 December 2026	Malaysia	Graduate Pass eligibility for Chinese and Indian nationals, decided case by case, ends on this date.
31 December 2026	China	Temporary cut in regular visa fees, already extended, runs until this date; US$23 single entry for most nationalities.
1 January 2027	United Kingdom	Graduate Route falls from two years to 18 months for bachelor's and master's applications from this date; PhDs keep three years.
1 January 2027	Singapore	Employment Pass minimum salary for new applications rises from S$5,600 to S$6,000, and from S$6,200 to S$6,600 in financial services.
2027	France	Cap on differential-fee exemptions falls to 25% of enrolled foreign students for 2027-28, then 20% thereafter.
January 2027	Belgium	Ghent introduces a city student housing tax of EUR 5.50 to EUR 11.80 a month.
31 October 2027	Italy	Ministerial visa deadline moves earlier, from 30 November for 2026/2027 to 31 October 2027 for AY 2027/2028.
1 January 2029	Czechia	A new immigration law moves procedures online and gives universities more reporting duties; the current Aliens Act applies until then.

Coming up

16 November 2026 · post-study · New Zealand

Level 7 graduate diploma graduates who already hold a bachelor's become eligible for the post-study work visa.
30 November 2026 · proof of funds · United Kingdom

Maintenance rises from GBP 1,529 to GBP 1,570 a month in London and from GBP 1,171 to GBP 1,203 outside.
31 December 2026 · post-study · Malaysia

Graduate Pass eligibility for Chinese and Indian nationals, decided case by case, ends on this date.
31 December 2026 · fees · China

Temporary cut in regular visa fees, already extended, runs until this date; US$23 single entry for most nationalities.
1 January 2027 · post-study · United Kingdom

Graduate Route falls from two years to 18 months for bachelor's and master's applications from this date; PhDs keep three years.
1 January 2027 · post-study · Singapore

Employment Pass minimum salary for new applications rises from S$5,600 to S$6,000, and from S$6,200 to S$6,600 in financial services.
2027 · tuition · France

Cap on differential-fee exemptions falls to 25% of enrolled foreign students for 2027-28, then 20% thereafter.
January 2027 · other · Belgium

Ghent introduces a city student housing tax of EUR 5.50 to EUR 11.80 a month.
31 October 2027 · visa rules · Italy

Ministerial visa deadline moves earlier, from 30 November for 2026/2027 to 31 October 2027 for AY 2027/2028.
1 January 2029 · visa rules · Czechia

A new immigration law moves procedures online and gives universities more reporting duties; the current Aliens Act applies until then.

Already in force

1 November 2026 · visa rules · Lithuania

Residence permit applications filed inside Lithuania will require a valid legal basis for your stay when you apply.
1 October 2026 · visa rules · United States

F-1 and M-1 applicants must set all social media profiles to public for vetting.
18 September 2026 · post-study · United States

Proclamation extends to September 2027 the bar on H-1B entry unless a USD 100,000 payment accompanied the petition.
14 September 2026 · visa rules · United States

A nationwide preliminary injunction blocked the duration of status rule one day before it took effect; duration of status remains.
4 September 2026 · other · Australia

Government cancelled CRICOS registration of the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) across 452 providers; no new international enrolments allowed.
1 September 2026 · proof of funds · Canada

Proof of funds rose from CAD 22,895 to CAD 23,448 for a single applicant, plus CAD 6,318 per family member.
1 August 2026 · tuition · Norway

The requirement to charge at least the full cost of a study place was removed, letting universities cut fees.
1 August 2026 · proof of funds · France

Proof of funds rose 43% from EUR 615 to EUR 877.50 a month.
1 August 2026 · fees · France

Campus France EEF procedure fee for India set at INR 20,000.
17 July 2026 · visa rules · United States

DHS final rule capped F-1 admission at four years and cut the grace period from 60 to 30 days.
15 July 2026 · visa rules · Slovakia

Decision period for study residence applications lengthened from 30 to 90 days.
15 July 2026 · caps · Netherlands

Ministry and universities signed a binding agreement for controlled intake, limiting English-taught places where necessary.
July 2026 · proof of funds · Slovakia

Monthly subsistence minimum for proof of funds rose from EUR 284.13 to EUR 295.22.
1 July 2026 · proof of funds · Romania

Proof of funds follows the minimum gross wage, which rose to 4,325 lei a month.
1 July 2026 · fees · Japan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised visa fees; a single-entry visa now costs about JPY 15,000.
1 July 2026 · fees · Australia

Student visa (subclass 500) fee rose from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500.
1 July 2026 · post-study · Australia

Temporary Graduate (485) visa fee rose from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750.
22 June 2026 · fees · South Africa

VFS service fee for in-country applications set at R1,750, on top of the R425 Home Affairs fee.
11 June 2026 · work · Sweden

For permits granted from this date, term-time work is capped at 15 hours a week; previously there was no weekly cap.
11 June 2026 · visa rules · Sweden

Study progress (credit) requirements added to student permits, applying to older permits at renewal.
11 June 2026 · post-study · Sweden

Switching from a study permit to a work permit generally requires a completed programme of at least two semesters.
22 May 2026 · work · Lithuania

First- and second-year bachelor's students limited to 20 hours a week; later-year, master's and doctoral students to 40 hours.
22 May 2026 · visa rules · Lithuania

Amendments cap study-based residence at a cumulative eight years and add stricter attendance and progress monitoring.
19 May 2026 · tuition · France

Blanket waivers of differential fees ended; exemptions capped at 30% of enrolled foreign students for 2026-27.
19 May 2026 · caps · Australia

New CRICOS registrations from private VET and ELICOS providers were frozen for twelve months; TAFEs and universities exempt.
1 May 2026 · fees · France

VLS-TS validation tax doubled from EUR 50 to EUR 100; permit taxes rose to EUR 150 first issuance and EUR 100 renewal.
27 April 2026 · fees · Romania

Long-stay visa fee rose from EUR 120 to EUR 300.
8 April 2026 · fees · United Kingdom

Student visa application fee set at GBP 558.
April 2026 · work · Japan

Japanese language schools must check every three months where each student works and for how many hours.
April 2026 · language · Japan

Language school applicants must prove Japanese with a formal test certificate or interview, not just 150 hours of study.
1 April 2026 · work · Canada

A separate co-op work permit is no longer needed for a required work placement.
4 March 2026 · proof of funds · Croatia

2025 average net salary of EUR 1,449 published, setting funds at EUR 362.25 a month plus EUR 869.40 for the return journey.
1 March 2026 · proof of funds · Slovenia

Proof of funds, tied to basic minimum income, rose to EUR 507.43 a month from an older figure of EUR 484.88.
1 March 2026 · work · Georgia

Foreigners without permanent residence must obtain work authorisation before starting paid work.
1 March 2026 · post-study · Australia

Temporary Graduate (485) visa fee doubled from AUD 2,300 to AUD 4,600.
6 February 2026 · visa rules · Greece

Student residence permit is now issued for the full programme length, with progress checks every two years.
6 February 2026 · work · Greece

Student work limit raised from a reported 15 hours to 20 hours a week.
6 February 2026 · post-study · Greece

Law 5275/2026 formalised a one-year post-study permit to look for work or start a business.
1 February 2026 · proof of funds · Mexico

UMA set at MXN 117.31 a day, making requirements MXN 25,808.20 a month in income or MXN 268,639.90 in balance.
21 January 2026 · language · United States

TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 scale in half-point steps, with a 0-120 score also shown for two years.
21 January 2026 · language · Sweden

For TOEFL iBT tests from this date, 4.5 overall on the new 1-6 scale is required, no section below 4.
21 January 2026 · language · Netherlands

TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 scale; check your university's new-scale equivalents.
21 January 2026 · language · Estonia

For TOEFL iBT tests from this date, Tartu requires 4 overall on the new 1-6 scale instead of 75.
21 January 2026 · language · Canada

TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 score scale aligned to CEFR; both scales reported until January 2028.
12 January 2026 · proof of funds · Belgium

Proof of funds rose from EUR 835 to EUR 1,062 a month for new applications from 2026-2027, indexed every 15 February.
1 January 2026 · post-study · Taiwan

Graduates can extend their stay up to two years and work full- or part-time without a work permit.
2026 · proof of funds · Sweden

Maintenance requirement rose from SEK 10,584 for 2025 applications to SEK 10,656 a month for 2026.
2026 · tuition · Qatar

New Qatar University undergraduate rates for entrants from Fall 2026: QAR 1,200 to 1,700 per credit hour by field.
1 January 2026 · proof of funds · Portugal

Proof of funds tied to minimum wage rose to EUR 920 a month (EUR 11,040 a year), from the 2024 base of EUR 820 still quoted.
2026 · tuition · Poland

Jagiellonian medicine and dentistry fees rose about 3% for 2026/27 admission, to EUR 16,000 (MD) and EUR 17,000 (DDS).
2026 · tuition · Norway

Nord University cut non-EU fees from NOK 141,000 to 280,000 in 2025/26 to NOK 60,000 or 85,000 for 2026/27.
2026 · proof of funds · Norway

Proof of funds rose from NOK 166,859 a year for 2025/2026 to NOK 170,368 for 2026-2027.
1 January 2026 · proof of funds · Netherlands

Proof of funds rose 4.4% to EUR 1,130.77 a month for 2026.
2026 · proof of funds · Latvia

Proof of funds follows the minimum wage, which rose from EUR 740 in 2025 to EUR 780 a month.
2026 · visa rules · Italy

International entry procedures moved to a two-year cycle for the first time.
2026 · caps · Italy

Universities may validate only applications proportionate to their available places, capped at a 20% overshoot.
2026 · language · Italy

Certified B2 in Italian or English, verified by the university before the visa application, is now required; B1 for Foundation Courses.
January 2026 · language · Ireland

New TOEFL scale applies: 4.5 overall and 4.5 minimum in each section, replacing iBT 90.
1 January 2026 · other · Georgia

Media reported a mandatory health and accident insurance requirement for foreign visitors; application to students was not confirmed.
1 January 2026 · fees · Finland

First student residence permit fee rose from EUR 450 to EUR 600 online and from EUR 550 to EUR 750 on paper.
2026 · tuition · Estonia

University of Tartu stopped tuition waivers for newly admitted non-EU/EEA students from 2026-2027; some programmes offer 25% to 100% reductions.
2026 · work · Croatia

Students can earn up to EUR 12,000 net a year from student work without it being taxed.
1 January 2026 · proof of funds · Canada

Quebec requirement for a single student aged 18 or over rose from CAD 15,508 to CAD 24,617.
1 January 2026 · caps · Canada

Master's and doctoral students at public institutions no longer need a Provincial Attestation Letter.
2026 · caps · Canada

The 2026 cap allows at most 309,670 applications from students needing a Provincial Attestation Letter.
2026 · post-study · Canada

The PGWP eligible field-of-study list was frozen for 2026 at 1,107 programmes.
2026 · tuition · Canada

International tuition fees rose 4% nationally for 2026/27, from 0% in Newfoundland to 8.6% in Saskatchewan.
1 January 2026 · fees · Belgium

Immigration Office contribution fee indexed to EUR 251; students with a Belgian grant and under-18s are exempt.
2026 · caps · Australia

The 2026 National Planning Level caps new international student commencements at 295,000.
24 December 2025 · fees · Türkiye

Communiqué set the residence permit card fee at TRY 964 for 2026.
3 November 2025 · work · New Zealand

Term-time work limit rose from 20 to 25 hours a week; work rights extended to exchange and study abroad students.
November 2025 · visa rules · Canada

Doctoral study permit applicants get a two-week processing service.
22 October 2025 · post-study · Portugal

General job-seeker visa for applicants abroad replaced by a visa for highly qualified job seekers.
22 October 2025 · dependants · Portugal

Family reunification now generally requires two years of prior residence.
July 2025 · fees · United States

A USD 250 visa integrity fee was created by legislation but is charged inconsistently and missing from the official fee schedule.
1 July 2025 · visa rules · Slovakia

Switching from study residence to another purpose allowed only after completing studies; switch to business only after 24 months.
July 2025 · fees · Australia

Student visa fee rose from AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,000.
30 June 2025 · proof of funds · Ireland

Proof of funds set at EUR 10,000 for courses of a year or longer, or EUR 833 a month, on top of fees.
20 June 2025 · other · Ireland

The ILEP list of eligible programmes was frozen at its final update and is being replaced by TrustEd Ireland.
9 June 2025 · post-study · Malaysia

Seven ASEAN countries were added to the Graduate Pass eligible nationalities.
29 May 2025 · tuition · Argentina

Public universities may now charge tuition to foreign students without permanent residence; free undergraduate study is kept only for citizens and permanent residents.
29 May 2025 · other · Argentina

At national government health facilities, people without permanent residence get routine care only with health insurance or after paying.
20 May 2025 · visa rules · Spain

Higher education study authorisation now covers the whole programme length instead of annual renewals.
2 May 2025 · work · Denmark

Students on non-state-approved programmes who applied on or after this date have no right to work.
2 May 2025 · dependants · Denmark

Students on non-state-approved programmes who applied on or after this date cannot bring accompanying family.
21 January 2025 · dependants · Canada

Spousal open work permits limited to spouses of master's students on 16-month-plus programmes, doctoral and selected professional programmes.
2025 · tuition · Switzerland

ETH Zurich tripled its fee for most international students from CHF 730 to CHF 2,190 per semester from autumn 2025.
2025 · work · Spain

Work limit raised from 20 to 30 hours a week with automatic work permission, no separate application.
2025 · language · Netherlands

From 2025-26 most psychology bachelor's programmes moved to Dutch; several economics and business bachelor's converted or capped English tracks.
2025 · visa rules · India

Foreigner registration rules now sit under the new Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
1 January 2025 · proof of funds · Germany

Blocked account requirement rose to EUR 992 a month, EUR 11,904 a year, and has not changed since.
1 January 2025 · fees · Finland

A national EUR 100 application fee was introduced for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
2025 · tuition · Belgium

In French-speaking Belgium most non-EU students now pay an extra EUR 4,175 on top of EUR 835, EUR 5,010 a year in total.
8 November 2024 · visa rules · Canada

The Student Direct Stream fast-track closed and has not returned.
November 2024 · work · Canada

Off-campus work limit set at 24 hours a week during academic sessions, up from 20 before the pandemic waiver.
1 November 2024 · post-study · Canada

College and non-degree programmes must be linked to a long-term shortage occupation for PGWP eligibility, for permits applied for from this date.
October 2024 · post-study · Brazil

New residence authorisation for work for graduates of Brazilian degrees took effect; it requires a job contract and gives no job-search period.
1 September 2024 · post-study · Canada

PGWP requires at least 50% of the programme completed in class in Canada for programmes starting on or after this date.
July 2024 · caps · Cyprus

Cabinet approved a limit on how many third-country nationals each private institution may admit.
July 2024 · fees · Australia

Student visa fee rose from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600.
1 July 2024 · post-study · Australia

Age limit for the 485 Temporary Graduate visa was cut from 50 to 35.
15 May 2024 · post-study · Canada

Public-private partnership college programmes stopped being PGWP-eligible for same-province students starting after this date.
10 May 2024 · proof of funds · Australia

Living-costs requirement set at AUD 29,710 for twelve months, on top of first-year tuition and travel; unchanged since.
4 May 2024 · language · Australia

TOEFL iBT was reinstated as an accepted English test for the student visa.
April 2024 · visa rules · Philippines

Immigration Bureau said foreign students may face intelligence checks, with schools filing regular compliance reports.
1 March 2024 · visa rules · Saudi Arabia

A dedicated study visa service was launched through the Study in Saudi platform.
1 March 2024 · fees · Malaysia

8% service tax added to the EMGS visa processing fee.
9 January 2024 · visa rules · Indonesia

The ITAS stay permit is now issued at the point of entry, with photos and fingerprints taken on arrival.
January 2024 · dependants · United Kingdom

Only PhD, research-degree or government-sponsored students may bring dependants; taught master's students no longer qualify.
2024 · work · Germany

Work limit raised to 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or 20 hours a week, from 120/240 days.
2024 · tuition · Germany

TU Munich began charging new non-EU students EUR 2,000 to 3,000 a semester for bachelor's and EUR 4,000 to 6,000 for master's.
29 November 2023 · visa rules · Türkiye

Students can hand residence permit documents to their university's student affairs office, which submits them.
3 July 2023 · proof of funds · South Korea

Required balance set in won: KRW 20 million for D-2 students in Seoul area, KRW 16 million elsewhere.
1 July 2023 · visa rules · Lithuania

All full-time non-EU degree students must hold a temporary residence permit for studies.
1 February 2023 · post-study · Canada

Public-private partnership college programmes stopped being PGWP-eligible for cross-province students starting after this date.
2023 · tuition · Qatar

Qatar University graduate students admitted from Fall 2023 pay QAR 2,200 per credit hour, QAR 2,600 for the MBA.
2023 · visa rules · Portugal

AIMA replaced SEF as the agency handling student residence permits.
2023 · caps · Poland

Since late 2023 foreign students are capped at 50% of enrolment at any single university.
2023 · language · Poland

Since late 2023 the government introduced stricter Polish-language requirements and stronger verification of qualifications.
2023 · tuition · Norway

Public universities began charging tuition to students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland from autumn 2023.
1 January 2023 · proof of funds · Czechia

Subsistence minimum used for proof of funds set at CZK 3,130 a month, still in use.
July 2020 · caps · Cyprus

Cabinet imposed a 20% ceiling on third-country admissions at private colleges and banned admissions over June to September.
2019 · tuition · France

Differential tuition fees for non-EU students were introduced at public universities.
1 July 2017 · work · China

Ministry of Education rules allow work-study but bar international students from being employed or doing business.
2017 · tuition · Germany

Baden-Württemberg began charging non-EU students EUR 1,500 per semester.
2017 · post-study · China

A notice on outstanding foreign graduates lets them apply for a work permit without the usual two years of experience.

Questions

What student visa rules change in 2026/27?

the next student visa and fee changes in our guides are New Zealand, 16 November 2026: Level 7 graduate diploma graduates who already hold a bachelor's become eligible for the post-study work visa; United Kingdom, 30 November 2026: Maintenance rises from GBP 1,529 to GBP 1,570 a month in London and from GBP 1,171 to GBP 1,203 outside; Malaysia, 31 December 2026: Graduate Pass eligibility for Chinese and Indian nationals, decided case by case, ends on this date. 10 changes are announced in all, each from an official source cited in the country guide.

Where do these changes come from?

Each one comes from an official source cited in the country guide, with the date it applies from. Rules can change again before then, so check the official page when you apply.