Visa application processing times

How to read these processing times

Home Affairs publishes global processing times based on applications it decided recently, and generally updates them each month. The figures are not a promise or a service standard; they describe what has already happened to other applicants.

• 50% of applications: half of the applications decided recently were finalised within this time. Think of it as the typical wait for a straightforward application.
• 90% of applications: nine out of ten applications were finalised within this time. If your application involves extra checks, a request for more information or a complex history, plan around this figure.
• The remaining 10% take longer, often because of health, character or security checks, or because the applicant took time to respond to a request.

Times are measured from the date the application was lodged to the date it was decided (except the permanent stage of partner visas, as noted). Because they are worked out from recent decisions, they can rise or fall sharply from one month to the next, for example when Home Affairs clears an older backlog or when a new program year starts on 1 July.

Why processing times vary

• Migration program places: permanent visas are limited by the annual planning levels. When places in a category run low, processing slows until the next program year.
• Capped and queued visas: parent and some other family visas are released in queue date order as places become available, which is why their waits are measured in years.
• Processing priorities: Ministerial Directions tell officers which applications to decide first (see below).
• Volume and season: visitor, student and working holiday applications peak at certain times of year, such as before the university intake and the northern summer.
• Nominations and sponsorships: employer sponsored visas also need an approved sponsorship and nomination, and each has its own processing time.
• Your country and circumstances: identity checks, document verification and the information available from your home country can add time.

What slows an application down

• Lodging without all the required documents, or with documents that are unclear, expired or not translated.
• Health examinations or police certificates that are arranged late. Book them early where you can.
• Not answering a request for more information within the time given.
• Inconsistent information, such as dates, employment history or relationship details that differ between forms and evidence.
• Character or security concerns that need further checks.
• Changes during processing, such as a new job, a new relationship or a newborn child, which must be reported and may need more assessment.

The best way to avoid delay is a decision ready application: complete forms, all supporting evidence uploaded at lodgement, and prompt replies to any request.

Priority processing under Ministerial Directions 121 and 122

From 19 September 2026, two Ministerial Directions set the order in which skilled visas are processed. They replaced Direction 119 and apply to applications already lodged as well as new ones. Family members included in your application get the same priority as you.

Direction 121 (subclass 482 Skills in Demand, and remaining TSS applications)

1. Applications for occupations in a priority sector (construction, health care, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, and occupations related to law enforcement and defence).
2. Specialist Skills stream applications.
3. Other applicants who were in Australia when they applied.
4. Applicants who were outside Australia when they applied, in their own application.
5. All other applications.

Direction 122 (permanent and provisional skilled visas, including subclasses 186, 189, 190, 191, 491, 494, 887 and 888)

1. Applications for occupations in a priority sector.
2. Applicants who were in Australia when they applied.
3. Applicants who were outside Australia when they applied, in their own application.
4. All other applications.

Applications outside the top priority groups are still processed, but they may wait longer than the published figures suggest. You cannot pay to move up the order. Read more on our order of consideration page, or book a consultation to understand where your application sits.