Australia Visa Processing Times: What the Official Data Shows

The Department of Home Affairs publishes median processing times for key visa categories, and these are the most accurate indicator of how long most applications take. As of July 2026, the medians are: Visitor visas under 1 day, Student visas 21 days, Working Holiday Maker visas 5 days, Skilled (Temporary) visas 98 days, Skilled (Permanent) visas 8 months, and Partner (Provisional/Temporary) visas 23 months. These are medians, not guarantees — your application may take longer or shorter depending on its individual circumstances. The Department also states that some processing locations are currently experiencing delays, so your application may take longer than the published times.

Why Processing Times Vary

The Department of Home Affairs lists several reasons why processing times vary between applications. Understanding these factors can help you see why your application might not be finalised as quickly as another one.

Key factors include:

• Whether the application has all necessary supporting documents.
• Whether the application is lodged online or on paper — applying online helps streamline processing.
• How quickly you respond to requests for further information.
• How long it takes to receive information from external agencies, particularly relating to health, character and national security requirements.
• For permanent visa applications, the number of places available in the migration program.
• The complexity of the visa application.
• Whether the number of visa applications increases or decreases.
• Changes to Ministerial Directions.
• Deciding older applications, which increases processing times.

The Department strongly encourages applicants to submit all necessary supporting documents at the time of applying. This is one of the few factors you control, and it can help avoid delays.

Median Processing Times by Visa Category (July 2026)

The table below shows the median processing times for key visa categories as published by the Department of Home Affairs. These figures are the most accurate way to show the amount of time it is taking most visa applications to be finalised.

Visa Category	Median Processing Time (July 2026)
Visitor	Less than 1 day
Working Holiday Maker	5 days
Student	21 days
Skilled (Temporary)	98 days
Skilled (Permanent)	8 months
Partner (Provisional/Temporary)	23 months

Important caveats apply to each category. Visitor processing times combine subclasses 600, 601 and 651; the subclass 600 visa can vary significantly compared with the 601 and 651 subclasses, which generally have shorter processing times. If additional information is requested, the final decision may take longer. The Working Holiday Maker figure combines subclasses 417 and 462 and is based on recently finalised applications, which may not reflect the experience of all applicants; due to high application volumes, processing times may be longer than usual.

Skilled (Permanent) processing times are affected by Permanent Migration Program planning levels, Ministerial Directions related to Skilled visa processing priorities, application completeness, and the volume of applications received and on-hand. This means some applications may be decided more quickly than others, and applications are not always processed in the order they are received. For employer-sponsored visas, submitting complete nomination and visa applications at the same time can support more efficient processing.

Partner visa processing times vary for each subclass. Applications are generally assessed in date order within each priority group, but priority groups differ (see below).

Skilled Visa Processing Priorities

Skilled nomination and visa applications are processed according to Government policy priorities outlined in Ministerial Direction 119, which came into effect on 25 July 2026. This Direction replaced all processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 105 and applies to all on-hand applications, including the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) program, which was not previously included under Ministerial Direction 105.

Prioritisation is afforded according to both occupation and the location of applicants at the time of application. Applications are processed in the following order of priority:

1. Highest priority: applications supporting Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests where the applicant is in Australia at the time of application.
2. Second priority: applications supporting Australia’s law enforcement or defence interests where the applicant is outside Australia at the time of application.
3. Third priority: applications relating to construction, healthcare, and teaching occupations where the applicant is in Australia at the time of application.
4. Fourth priority: all other applications where the applicant is in Australia at the time of application.
5. Fifth and final priority: all other applications where the applicant is outside Australia at the time of application.

Ministerial Direction 119 covers the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187), Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), Permanent Residence (Skilled Regional) (subclass 191), Skills in Demand (subclass 482), Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482), Skilled Regional (Provisional) (subclass 489), Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (subclass 491), Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494), Skilled Regional (subclass 887), and Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (subclass 888) visas.

Separate Directions apply to other skilled visa categories. Ministerial Direction 114, in effect since 12 February 2025, covers Business Innovation and Investment (subclass 188) and Business Talent (Permanent) (subclass 132) applications. Ministerial Direction 120, in effect since 25 July 2026, covers Class BX (subclass 858) visas, Distinguished Talent, Global Talent, and National Innovation (subclass 858) visa applications.

Partner Visa Processing Priorities

Partner visa applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117. Applications are generally assessed in the order in which they are received, with highest priority given to applications for onshore Partner visas (subclass 820 and 801).

Lower priority is given to offshore applications for the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) and Partner visas (subclass 309 and 100). Applications with lower priority are likely to experience longer processing times.

Under Ministerial Direction 117, the Department may prioritise a Partner visa application if you can show that it involves special circumstances of a compassionate nature, and there are compelling reasons to depart from the order of priority. There is no guarantee that a higher priority will be given, because other applicants might have equally or more compelling and compassionate circumstances. Most requests for priority processing cannot be approved. The Department will only consider such requests if all supporting documents and information are submitted with your application.

If you hold a temporary Partner visa (subclass 309 or 820), two years must have passed since you applied for that visa to be eligible for assessment of the permanent visa. If you are not yet eligible for the permanent visa, the Department cannot consider your request for priority processing.

How to Check Your Application’s Processing Time

If you have made a visa application, you can check processing times information using the visa processing times guide tool on the Department of Home Affairs website. This tool shows processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Processing times are available for most visas, except: visas that are closed to new applications, family visas that are capped and queued, and visas that have too few decisions in the month to provide a reliable indicator of processing times.

For Partner visas specifically, the Department advises applicants not to contact them if the application is still within the standard processing time, as they cannot provide further updates on the application’s progress. You can check the status of your visa application and whether you have provided all supporting documents through ImmiAccount.

What to Do Next

To get the most accurate picture of how long your specific application might take, use the visa processing times guide tool on the Department of Home Affairs website. This will show processing times for recently decided applications for your visa subclass.

Before lodging, ensure you have all necessary supporting documents ready to submit at the time of applying. The Department states that lodging a complete application helps avoid delays. For employer-sponsored skilled visas, submitting complete nomination and visa applications at the same time can support more efficient processing.

For Student visas, the Department recommends applications be lodged well in advance of course commencement and with all supporting documentation. For Visitor visas, the Department encourages you to apply well in advance of travel.

Remember that published processing times are medians, not guarantees. The Department states that some processing locations are currently experiencing delays, so your application may take longer to be finalised than the published times. Do not arrange travel to Australia until you have been notified in writing that your visa has been granted. If you applied in Australia, you must be in Australia when your visa is granted.