Understanding Visa Processing Times

Home Affairs has published current visa processing times to help applicants understand how long their applications may take. Processing times vary significantly depending on the visa type and individual circumstances. For Skilled permanent visas, the median processing time is 9 months, while Partner visas (provisional/temporary) currently take 20 months on average. According to Home Affairs, processing times are affected by several factors including whether applications have all required documents, if they're lodged online versus on paper, how quickly applicants respond to requests for information, and delays waiting for health, character and security checks from external agencies. The complexity of individual applications and current application volumes also impact processing times. For Skilled visas specifically, Home Affairs prioritises applications in this order: employer-sponsored applicants in regional areas, healthcare and teaching workers, applications from accredited sponsors, and then all other applications. This means older applications aren't necessarily processed first. Home Affairs recommends submitting complete applications online to help speed up processing and responding promptly to any requests for additional information.