First, an update on yesterday’s news of the very first Subclass 191 grant

(for the full details, see: The first-ever 491-to-191 grant shared online today!? Plus ICT / engineering / accounting applicants on 60–70 base points invited and granted on Subclass 491!) The original poster has since deleted the post, but before deleting it they replied:

– The nominated occupation when the 491 was granted was Marketing Specialist, invited by NSW

– Invited for the 491 in December 2019, granted the 491 three months later, and lodged the 191 application (with secondary applicant) in March 2023

– Lodged the NOAs for 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22

– Received a request for further documents (an overseas police clearance) in May after lodging

The original post is no longer available, and some readers have continued to question it. As we said, we would prefer to believe this is genuine, and we very much hope to see more 191 grants soon to help confirm it.

Back to today’s main topic: since the new financial year began in early July, the Department has fully resumed grants across all migration categories, and yesterday, the 26th, it updated the latest visa processing times [official guidance].

A few caveats first: the Department’s website gives estimated visa processing speeds, or waiting times

1. They are compiled from grants made over a preceding period, so there is a lag

2、for very limited reference only(for some visas we’ll also share our own clients’ actual grant times as a point of comparison)

3、This is not a promise from the Department that your visa will be granted within X months

189 (points-tested)

50% within six months, 75% within six months

Real-world reference: focused clearing of applications lodged between October 2022 and February 2023; many lodged after invitations in December last year are now being granted in batches

190 (state-nominated)

50% within 86 days, 75% within four months

Real-world reference: Most grants are for applications lodged from late 2022 to early 2023, with applications lodged mid-2022 or earlier also being cleared from time to time

491 (state-nominated)

50% within 10 months, 75% within 14 months

Real-world reference: The biggest acceleration of the three main categories; most grants now are for applications lodged from late 2022 to early 2023, and we’ve seen some lodged as late as the end of March already granted

489 to 887

25% within four months (the previous update said seven months)

Real-world reference: The old 887 backlog has largely been cleared; applications lodged now are generally granted within a few months

491 to 191

There is no data yet for the 491-to-191 category，see the latest grant shared above

482 (still very fast)

482 nomination: 75% within six days

482 short-term stream visa: 75% within 33 days

482 medium-term stream visa: 75% within 35 days

On top of that, sponsorship (SBS) processing is 75% within 16 days

Real-world reference: the 482 was already fast and keeps getting faster — from 35 days to 33 days, and from 39 days to within 35 days…

Most applicants are still granted within three months. We’ve had several clients lodge the nomination in the morning, have it approved that same afternoon, and get the grant the following week…

186 (employer-sponsored PR）

Direct Entry (DE): 75% within 11 months

Temporary Residence Transition (TRT): 75% within 11 months

Real-world reference: the official figures are unchanged, but recently our own client data also shows the 186 speeding up; the Department is currently processing applications from the second half of 2022 to early 2023. The 186 Direct Entry stream leads straight to PR, and anyone with close to three years’ work experience can have their eligibility assessed

858GTI

50% in seven months, 75% in eight months

Real-world reference: The GTI now generally takes around six months; we’ve had cases lodged early this year already granted

Business and investor migration

We won’t analyse business and investor migration here, though there is at least some grant data for reference, however limited

Temporary visa categories:Subclass 500 student visa / 600 visitor visa / 485 Graduate Work visa / 408 Covid stream — these common categories are all being granted within two to three weeks, and sometimes even within a week.

Need help with a visa application? Get in touch with our consultants below.

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189 / 190 / 491 / Employer-Sponsored Processing Times [Official] Updated — Most Get Faster! Was the First 191 Grant Lodged in March This Year?

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