Student visa and fee changes coming in 2026 and 2027

Rules for international students change more often than most guides are updated. These are the changes governments have announced, from their own pages, and the ones already in force this year. If you are applying for a start in 2027, the first list is the one to read.

Coming (12)

• United States, 1 October 2026 (visa rules): F-1 and M-1 applicants must set all social media profiles to public for vetting.
• Lithuania, 1 November 2026 (visa rules): Residence permit applications filed inside Lithuania will require a valid legal basis for your stay when you apply.
• New Zealand, 16 November 2026 (post-study): Level 7 graduate diploma graduates who already hold a bachelor's become eligible for the post-study work visa.
• United Kingdom, 30 November 2026 (proof of funds): 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 (post-study): Graduate Pass eligibility for Chinese and Indian nationals, decided case by case, ends on this date.
• China, 31 December 2026 (fees): Temporary cut in regular visa fees, already extended, runs until this date; US$23 single entry for most nationalities.
• United Kingdom, 1 January 2027 (post-study): Graduate Route falls from two years to 18 months for bachelor's and master's applications from this date; PhDs keep three years.
• Singapore, 1 January 2027 (post-study): 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.
• France, 2027 (tuition): Cap on differential-fee exemptions falls to 25% of enrolled foreign students for 2027-28, then 20% thereafter.
• Belgium, January 2027 (other): Ghent introduces a city student housing tax of EUR 5.50 to EUR 11.80 a month.
• Italy, 31 October 2027 (visa rules): Ministerial visa deadline moves earlier, from 30 November for 2026/2027 to 31 October 2027 for AY 2027/2028.
• Czechia, 1 January 2029 (visa rules): A new immigration law moves procedures online and gives universities more reporting duties; the current Aliens Act applies until then.

Already in force in 2026 (67)

• United States, 18 September 2026 (post-study): Proclamation extends to September 2027 the bar on H-1B entry unless a USD 100,000 payment accompanied the petition.
• United States, 14 September 2026 (visa rules): A nationwide preliminary injunction blocked the duration of status rule one day before it took effect; duration of status remains.
• Australia, 4 September 2026 (other): Government cancelled CRICOS registration of the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) across 452 providers; no new international enrolments allowed.
• Canada, 1 September 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds rose from CAD 22,895 to CAD 23,448 for a single applicant, plus CAD 6,318 per family member.
• Norway, 1 August 2026 (tuition): The requirement to charge at least the full cost of a study place was removed, letting universities cut fees.
• France, 1 August 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds rose 43% from EUR 615 to EUR 877.50 a month.
• France, 1 August 2026 (fees): Campus France EEF procedure fee for India set at INR 20,000.
• United States, 17 July 2026 (visa rules): DHS final rule capped F-1 admission at four years and cut the grace period from 60 to 30 days.
• Slovakia, 15 July 2026 (visa rules): Decision period for study residence applications lengthened from 30 to 90 days.
• Netherlands, 15 July 2026 (caps): Ministry and universities signed a binding agreement for controlled intake, limiting English-taught places where necessary.
• Slovakia, July 2026 (proof of funds): Monthly subsistence minimum for proof of funds rose from EUR 284.13 to EUR 295.22.
• Romania, 1 July 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds follows the minimum gross wage, which rose to 4,325 lei a month.
• Japan, 1 July 2026 (fees): Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised visa fees; a single-entry visa now costs about JPY 15,000.
• Australia, 1 July 2026 (fees): Student visa (subclass 500) fee rose from AUD 2,000 to AUD 2,500.
• Australia, 1 July 2026 (post-study): Temporary Graduate (485) visa fee rose from AUD 4,600 to AUD 5,750.
• South Africa, 22 June 2026 (fees): VFS service fee for in-country applications set at R1,750, on top of the R425 Home Affairs fee.
• Sweden, 11 June 2026 (work): For permits granted from this date, term-time work is capped at 15 hours a week; previously there was no weekly cap.
• Sweden, 11 June 2026 (visa rules): Study progress (credit) requirements added to student permits, applying to older permits at renewal.
• Sweden, 11 June 2026 (post-study): Switching from a study permit to a work permit generally requires a completed programme of at least two semesters.
• Lithuania, 22 May 2026 (work): First- and second-year bachelor's students limited to 20 hours a week; later-year, master's and doctoral students to 40 hours.
• Lithuania, 22 May 2026 (visa rules): Amendments cap study-based residence at a cumulative eight years and add stricter attendance and progress monitoring.
• France, 19 May 2026 (tuition): Blanket waivers of differential fees ended; exemptions capped at 30% of enrolled foreign students for 2026-27.
• Australia, 19 May 2026 (caps): New CRICOS registrations from private VET and ELICOS providers were frozen for twelve months; TAFEs and universities exempt.
• France, 1 May 2026 (fees): VLS-TS validation tax doubled from EUR 50 to EUR 100; permit taxes rose to EUR 150 first issuance and EUR 100 renewal.
• Romania, 27 April 2026 (fees): Long-stay visa fee rose from EUR 120 to EUR 300.
• United Kingdom, 8 April 2026 (fees): Student visa application fee set at GBP 558.
• Japan, April 2026 (work): Japanese language schools must check every three months where each student works and for how many hours.
• Japan, April 2026 (language): Language school applicants must prove Japanese with a formal test certificate or interview, not just 150 hours of study.
• Canada, 1 April 2026 (work): A separate co-op work permit is no longer needed for a required work placement.
• Croatia, 4 March 2026 (proof of funds): 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.
• Slovenia, 1 March 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds, tied to basic minimum income, rose to EUR 507.43 a month from an older figure of EUR 484.88.
• Georgia, 1 March 2026 (work): Foreigners without permanent residence must obtain work authorisation before starting paid work.
• Australia, 1 March 2026 (post-study): Temporary Graduate (485) visa fee doubled from AUD 2,300 to AUD 4,600.
• Greece, 6 February 2026 (visa rules): Student residence permit is now issued for the full programme length, with progress checks every two years.
• Greece, 6 February 2026 (work): Student work limit raised from a reported 15 hours to 20 hours a week.
• Greece, 6 February 2026 (post-study): Law 5275/2026 formalised a one-year post-study permit to look for work or start a business.
• Mexico, 1 February 2026 (proof of funds): 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.
• United States, 21 January 2026 (language): TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 scale in half-point steps, with a 0-120 score also shown for two years.
• Sweden, 21 January 2026 (language): For TOEFL iBT tests from this date, 4.5 overall on the new 1-6 scale is required, no section below 4.
• Netherlands, 21 January 2026 (language): TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 scale; check your university's new-scale equivalents.
• Estonia, 21 January 2026 (language): For TOEFL iBT tests from this date, Tartu requires 4 overall on the new 1-6 scale instead of 75.
• Canada, 21 January 2026 (language): TOEFL iBT moved to a 1-6 score scale aligned to CEFR; both scales reported until January 2028.
• Belgium, 12 January 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds rose from EUR 835 to EUR 1,062 a month for new applications from 2026-2027, indexed every 15 February.
• Taiwan, 1 January 2026 (post-study): Graduates can extend their stay up to two years and work full- or part-time without a work permit.
• Sweden, 2026 (proof of funds): Maintenance requirement rose from SEK 10,584 for 2025 applications to SEK 10,656 a month for 2026.
• Qatar, 2026 (tuition): New Qatar University undergraduate rates for entrants from Fall 2026: QAR 1,200 to 1,700 per credit hour by field.
• Portugal, 1 January 2026 (proof of funds): 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.
• Poland, 2026 (tuition): Jagiellonian medicine and dentistry fees rose about 3% for 2026/27 admission, to EUR 16,000 (MD) and EUR 17,000 (DDS).
• Norway, 2026 (tuition): 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.
• Norway, 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds rose from NOK 166,859 a year for 2025/2026 to NOK 170,368 for 2026-2027.
• Netherlands, 1 January 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds rose 4.4% to EUR 1,130.77 a month for 2026.
• Latvia, 2026 (proof of funds): Proof of funds follows the minimum wage, which rose from EUR 740 in 2025 to EUR 780 a month.
• Italy, 2026 (visa rules): International entry procedures moved to a two-year cycle for the first time.
• Italy, 2026 (caps): Universities may validate only applications proportionate to their available places, capped at a 20% overshoot.
• Italy, 2026 (language): Certified B2 in Italian or English, verified by the university before the visa application, is now required; B1 for Foundation Courses.
• Ireland, January 2026 (language): New TOEFL scale applies: 4.5 overall and 4.5 minimum in each section, replacing iBT 90.
• Georgia, 1 January 2026 (other): Media reported a mandatory health and accident insurance requirement for foreign visitors; application to students was not confirmed.
• Finland, 1 January 2026 (fees): First student residence permit fee rose from EUR 450 to EUR 600 online and from EUR 550 to EUR 750 on paper.
• Estonia, 2026 (tuition): University of Tartu stopped tuition waivers for newly admitted non-EU/EEA students from 2026-2027; some programmes offer 25% to 100% reductions.
• Croatia, 2026 (work): Students can earn up to EUR 12,000 net a year from student work without it being taxed.
• Canada, 1 January 2026 (proof of funds): Quebec requirement for a single student aged 18 or over rose from CAD 15,508 to CAD 24,617.
• Canada, 1 January 2026 (caps): Master's and doctoral students at public institutions no longer need a Provincial Attestation Letter.
• Canada, 2026 (caps): The 2026 cap allows at most 309,670 applications from students needing a Provincial Attestation Letter.
• Canada, 2026 (post-study): The PGWP eligible field-of-study list was frozen for 2026 at 1,107 programmes.
• Canada, 2026 (tuition): International tuition fees rose 4% nationally for 2026/27, from 0% in Newfoundland to 8.6% in Saskatchewan.
• Belgium, 1 January 2026 (fees): Immigration Office contribution fee indexed to EUR 251; students with a Belgian grant and under-18s are exempt.
• Australia, 2026 (caps): The 2026 National Planning Level caps new international student commencements at 295,000.

Every change links to its country guide, which gives the official source. The full, filterable list is on the rule changes page.