Last updated: 30 March 2026

Visa Processing Time Updates: Current Wait Times

Knowing how long your visa application is likely to take is a practical necessity for planning — whether you are managing a lease, planning an interstate move, or making employment decisions. The Department of Home Affairs publishes processing time estimates for each visa subclass, and these estimates change as workloads, staffing, and application volumes shift. This article summarises the current processing landscape for Australian permanent residency and the major temporary visa categories, with notes on which streams are moving faster or slower and what affects individual application timelines.

Last updated: March 2026. Processing times are based on the Department of Home Affairs published processing time estimates current at publication. Published times are subject to change. Verify the most current estimates at homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-processing-times.

How the Department Reports Processing Times

The Department publishes processing times as the time within which a defined percentage of applications are finalised. The two standard metrics are:

• 75% processing time: The number of months within which 75% of applications lodged in that subclass were finalised
• 90% processing time: The number of months within which 90% of applications lodged in that subclass were finalised

The 90% figure is the more useful planning number — if you need to be confident your visa will be processed by a specific date, the 90% timeframe gives you a more reliable horizon than the 75%.

These statistics are based on applications lodged in a recent period and are updated regularly on the Department’s website. They can shift substantially — sometimes improving, sometimes worsening — within a few months.

Current Processing Times: Permanent Skilled Visas

Subclass 189 — Skilled Independent

The 189 is a direct PR visa with no temporary stage, so once granted, you have your permanent visa. The processing time runs from the date of visa application lodgement — not from the date you submitted your EOI or received your invitation.

Applications that process at the faster end of this range are typically those submitted with a complete medical examination already done, valid police clearances, and all evidence documents included upfront. Applications that require health follow-up or additional character processing sit closer to the 90% end.

Subclass 190 — Skilled Nominated

The 190 processing time is similar to the 189, with a marginal additional complexity from the state nomination component. The state nomination itself occurs before lodgement and does not add to post-lodgement processing time.

Subclass 491 — Skilled Work Regional (Temporary)

The 491 is a temporary visa, which may partly explain the somewhat faster processing relative to the 189 and 190. Applicants on the 491 still need to wait on the Department for the initial grant before they can begin their 3-year regional qualifying period for the eventual 191 permanent visa.

Subclass 191 — Permanent Residence (Regional)

The 191 is the permanent visa that follows at least 3 years on the 491. By the time a 191 is lodged, most compliance and identity documentation is already established from the prior 491 application, which may contribute to the more efficient processing time.

Current Processing Times: Employer-Sponsored Visas

Subclass 186 — Employer Nomination Scheme

The Direct Entry stream takes substantially longer than the TRT stream. This is partly because DE applications require a full skills assessment to be evaluated as part of the nomination, and the nomination assessment by the Department is separate from the visa application assessment. The TRT stream involves less new verification — the applicant’s employment history and occupation have already been substantiated through prior 482 processing.

Employer nomination processing: Before the visa application can be finalised, the employer’s nomination must be approved. The nomination and visa application are typically lodged together but can be processed at different speeds. Nomination approval times currently average 2–4 months for established sponsors.

Subclass 482 — Temporary Skill Shortage

482 processing has improved compared to the peak demand period of 2022–23. For most standard occupations, the 75% timeframe of 3 months reflects a functional processing environment. Priority processing is not officially offered for the 482, but applications in critical health or care sectors occasionally receive expedited attention through ministerial channels.

Subclass 494 — Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional

The 494 processes similarly to the 491. Regional employer nomination must be lodged and approved before or alongside the visa application, with nomination processing adding 2–3 months in some cases.

Current Processing Times: Family Stream Visas

Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801 Onshore; 309/100 Offshore)

The partner visa is a two-stage application, and the combined processing time reflects both stages.

Partner visa processing times have been among the slowest in the migration program. The 90% benchmark for the permanent 801 stage approaching 38 months means some applicants wait over three years from lodgement to permanent visa grant. The temporary 820 stage is typically granted within the first 12–26 months, giving applicants work rights and most settlement benefits during the wait for the permanent stage.

Partner visa processing is also affected by relationship evidence review, which requires case officer assessment rather than automated processing, contributing to the longer timelines compared to points-tested visas.

Parent Visa (Subclass 103 and 143)

Parent visas have among the longest processing times of any Australian visa category.

Parent visa applications face extreme backlogs. The non-contributory parent visa (103) has a decades-long queue due to limited places and high demand. The contributory parent (143) involves a significant financial contribution but has far shorter processing times. Applicants planning a parent visa pathway should research the current queue position before applying and consider the contributory pathway if the non-contributory timeline is unacceptable.

What Affects Your Individual Processing Time

1. Medical examination completeness

If you submit your visa application without a completed medical examination, the Department will request it after lodgement. The time between lodgement and the medical request, plus the time to complete the examination and transmit results, adds weeks to months to your timeline. Completing your medical examination on or before the day of visa lodgement is the most reliable way to avoid this delay.

2. Police clearance completeness

You need a police clearance from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. If you omit a country or submit an expired clearance, the Department will request it as a subsequent request, pausing the application. Gather all clearances before lodgement, accounting for the processing time required in each country (some overseas clearances take 6–8 weeks).

3. Requests for Further Information (RFI)

The Department may issue an RFI at any point in processing — requesting additional documents, clarifications, or statutory declarations. The time your application spends waiting for your response to an RFI counts against your total processing time. Respond to RFIs promptly and completely; incomplete responses generate a second RFI.

4. Health follow-up

If your medical examination reveals a condition that requires specialist assessment or follow-up, your application is held pending the health clearance. This can add months. There is no way to predict whether this will apply to your case, but being upfront about your medical history with the panel physician helps ensure the right assessments are done from the start.

5. Application complexity

Applications involving lengthy employment histories, addresses in multiple countries, character disclosure items, or complex family compositions take longer than straightforward single-applicant applications. If your case involves any of these elements, plan conservatively against the 90% timeframe rather than the 75%.

Tracking Your Application

Once your visa application is lodged, you can monitor its progress through:

• ImmiAccount: Your Home Affairs account where the application is lodged. You can see the application status, any requests from the Department, and correspondence.
• Global Visa Access (GVA): For some applications, particularly those in the health assessment pathway, the Global Visa Access portal provides health examination status
• Processing time estimates page: The Department’s published times are updated regularly and give you context for whether your application is within the expected timeframe

If your application is significantly beyond the 90% published timeframe and you have had no communication from the Department, you can contact the Home Affairs client service centre. If you believe there is a systemic error or your application has been forgotten, the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority or the Commonwealth Ombudsman can provide a path for escalation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay extra to have my visa processed faster?

There is no general priority processing option for most permanent visa subclasses. Some assessing bodies (such as ACS for skills assessments) offer priority processing for an additional fee, but this is at the skills assessment stage, not the visa application stage. Once you have lodged your visa application with the Department, the processing time is what it is. There is no way to pay to jump the queue.

Does lodging my application online vs paper affect processing time?

Yes. The Department strongly encourages online lodgement through ImmiAccount. Online applications are typically entered into the processing system faster than paper applications and generate less administrative handling. All skilled migration applications should be lodged online through ImmiAccount.

What bridging visa applies while I wait for my PR to be processed?

If you are in Australia on a temporary visa and your visa expires while your PR application is pending, you will be automatically granted a Bridging Visa A (BVA). The BVA maintains your lawful status and work rights while the PR application is being assessed. You should not travel outside Australia on a BVA without first obtaining a Bridging Visa B (BVB), which grants a return travel facility.