On 4 August, the Department of Home Affairs updated its indicative visa processing-time data. The previous update was at the end of June. Visa grants across categories have gradually resumed since the second week of the new financial year. This update mainly reflects grants made in July, so in theory this cohort of applications has not yet been fully affected by the new visa processing priorities.
Applicants should keep an eye on this update. Data from the coming months can then be compared to see how the new priority policy actually affects processing times for different visa categories.
In addition, skilled migration categories such as subclass 189 have now started showing progress under the new processing priorities on the official website.
I. Skilled migration
Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 7 months, one month longer than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 9 months, one month longer than at the last update
Overall, subclass 189 is still taking around six months to process. Although it has slowed slightly, the change is not substantial.
Some applicants in priority occupations such as construction and nursing have now received visa grants.
The Department of Home Affairs website shows:
- Onshore priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in June 2026
- Other onshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in January 2026
- All offshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in November 2025
Compared with other categories, the processing gap for subclass 189 between onshore and offshore applicants and between priority and non-priority occupations remains relatively limited.
Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 12 months, one month faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 17 months, unchanged from the last update
The Department of Home Affairs website shows:
- Onshore priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in April 2025
- Other onshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in April 2025
- All offshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in February 2025
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional visa nominated by a state or territory
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 12 months, three months faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 18 months, five months faster than at the last update
The Department of Home Affairs website shows:
- Onshore priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in April 2025
- Other onshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in March 2025
- All offshore occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in February 2025
Overall processing times for subclasses 190 and 491 are currently similar, with most onshore applicants concentrated among applications lodged in early 2025.
Based at least on grants made in July, onshore applications in non-priority occupations are still progressing normally, but no clear offshore grants have been seen for now.
The website currently does not show a marked widening of the gap between onshore and offshore applicants or between priority and non-priority occupations.
From subclass 491 to the subclass 191 Permanent Residence visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 7 months, two months faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 13 months, four months slower than at the last update
The Department of Home Affairs website shows that subclass 191 processing has now reached applications lodged in January 2026.
According to earlier FOI data, subclass 191 visa grants increased substantially from May:
- More than 1,500 visas were granted in May
- There were also expected to be a relatively large number of grants in June and July
The latest progress has now reached around February 2026, while applications lodged at the end of 2025 continue to be cleared. Except in extreme cases, the overall waiting time for subclass 191 is still expected to remain at around six months.
Subclass 887 permanent visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 7 months
- 90% of applications: approximately 18 months
Overall, this is largely unchanged from the last update.
In general, the expected waiting time is between six months and one year.
Subclass 858 National Innovation visa (NIV)
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 4 months
- 90% of applications: approximately 7 months
Overall, processing remains stable.
II. Employer-sponsored visas
Subclass 482 SID nomination applications
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 17 days, 12 days faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 9 months, unchanged from the last update
Subclass 482 SID Core Skills stream visa applications
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 69 days, 14 days faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 10 months, unchanged from the last update
Overall, subclass 482 SID processing is currently focused mainly on applications lodged between around August and November 2025.
The Department of Home Affairs website shows the following for subclass 482:
Onshore:
- Healthcare and Teaching priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in July 2026
- Construction priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in October 2025
- Other occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in October 2025
Offshore:
- All occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in October 2025
186 ENS Direct Entry
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 10 months, one month slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 14 months, two months slower than at the last update
We have also recently received several nomination approvals for subclass 186 Direct Entry applications lodged in early September 2024; all were in non-priority occupations.
The Department of Home Affairs website shows the following for subclass 186:
Onshore:
- Healthcare and Teaching priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in June 2025
- Construction priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in September 2024
- Other occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in July 2024
Offshore:
- All occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in July 2024
Subclass 186 Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 11 months, two months slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 15 months, one month slower than at the last update
Subclass 494 regional employer-sponsored visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 5 days, close to five months faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 11 months, one month slower than at the last update
The Department of Home Affairs website shows the following for subclass 494:
Onshore:
- Healthcare and Teaching priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in June 2026
- Construction priority occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in September 2025
- Other occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in August 2025
Offshore:
- All occupations: processing has reached applications lodged in August 2025
IV. Subclass 407 Training visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 11 months, more than eight months slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 17 months, three months slower than at the last update
Subclass 407 applications continue to be processed, and one of our clients received a request for further information this week. Overall, processing has slowed substantially, and applicants need to be prepared for a longer wait.
V. Parent and child migration
Subclass 143 Parent visa
Requests for further information for subclass 143 applications are still at applications lodged in early December 2018. Since June, there has not yet been another large-scale movement in requests, but applications that had already received a request for further information continue to be granted. A subclass 864 application from January 2019 has now been granted.
Subclass 101 Child visa
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 26 months, six months slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 33 months, three months slower than at the last update
The child migration quota increased by approximately 500 places in the new financial year, equivalent to an increase of around 16%. In theory, a larger quota should help improve processing times, but no marked acceleration has yet been seen.
VI. Partner migration
Subclass 820 temporary Partner visa stage
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 18 months, two months faster than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 32 months, seven months slower than at the last update
Subclass 801 permanent Partner visa stage
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 5 months, two months slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 12 months, one month slower than at the last update
Subclass 309 offshore Partner visa stage
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 17 months, one month slower than at the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 30 months, three months slower than at the last update
Subclass 100 permanent Partner visa stage
Current processing times:
- 50% of applications: approximately 10 months, unchanged from the last update
- 90% of applications: approximately 19 months, six months faster than at the last update
At present, the permanent-residence stage of partner migration is relatively fast overall, with some subclass 801 permanent-stage applications granted in only one to two months. Several clients who moved to subclass 801 in June have recently been approved. The temporary subclass 820 and 309 stages are still focused mainly on applications lodged before mid-2024.
Summary
The data in this Department of Home Affairs update mainly reflects grants made in July. The new visa processing priorities have only recently started to be applied in full, so changes in skilled migration and employer-sponsored categories remain limited for now.
Based on the current position:
- There is still no marked gap for subclass 189 between onshore and offshore applicants or between priority occupations
- Onshore subclass 190 and 491 applications continue to progress steadily
- Priority occupations under subclasses 482 and 186 are moving faster, but there are actual differences between priority occupation groups
- Offshore applications do not currently appear to have stalled markedly, but continued observation is still needed
- Family visas have not yet been broken down in detail under the new priorities
Over the coming months, as the new financial year progresses, a key point to watch will be whether the new priority system further widens processing gaps between categories. We hope everyone receives good news soon.
