Updated on the 16th, the Department of Home Affairs has updatedNovember 2021granted visaapplicants’general waiting times
In this update, they have also supplemented the data with 25% and 50% figures, that is:
25% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sgranted applicants in that category —25% of applicants waited within this timeframe
50% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sgranted applicants in that category —50% of applicants waited within this timeframe
75% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sgranted applicants in that category —75% of applicants waited within this timeframe
90% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sgranted applicants in that category —90% of applicants waited within this timeframe
“Slowing down”, “speeding up”, “holding steady”refer to comparisons against the waiting times of applicants granted the month prior.
However, November still shows no sign of improvement in grant speeds for skilled migration categories.
The Department of Home Affairs website currently sets out the following processing order
First are the special arrangements under COVID-19, which prioritise people currently eligible for travel exemptions
– Immediate family members of citizens and PR holders, including parents
– Travellers within the international Safe Travel Zone
– Temporary visa holders eligible for travel exemptions, including
* Skilled visa holders
* International students
* Humanitarian visa holders
* Working holiday visa holders and provisional family visa holders
Within skilled visa categories, the following processing priority order applies
First: employer-sponsored visas, GTI and Subclass 188 for occupations on the PMSOL list or in the agricultural sector
Second: occupations within a Critical Sector
Then back to employer-sponsored visas for regional areas
Fifth: Subclass 491 regional state-nominated migration
Eighth: former Subclass 489 regional state-nominated migration
Ninth: Subclass 190 state-nominated migration
Tenth: Subclass 189
In general, applicants who are onshore are given priority processing
Subclass 189 points-based system
25% waited within 73 days, 50% waited within 5 months, 75% waited 18 months — 2 months faster than the previous update — 90% waited 30 months or within, broadly holding steady
Subclass 189 invitations are now extremely rare,with rounds only every 3 months and just a few hundred invitations each time — the 29 October round issued only 200,so there are not many new applications for critical occupations to process; over these months it appears that older backlogs are being cleared, though in relatively small volumes.
Subclass 190 state nomination
25% waited within 4 months, 50% within 5 months, 75% within 6 months, 90% within 18 months — considerably slower again
Subclass 491 regional state nomination
State government-nominated stream,25% waited within 88 days, 50% within 5 months,75% within 5 months — 1 month slower; 90% within 9 months — faster
Family-nominated stream,25% waited73 daysor within, 50% within 4 months,75% within 10 months, 90% within 11 months — all holding steady
State nomination categories with ongoing new invitations and new lodgements don’t show as much variation as Subclass 189, though processing speeds suggest more recently lodged applications are being handled; most cases we have seen recently involve nursing or ICT, and volumes remain low.We hope visa officers return from the Christmas break promptly to clear the backlog of applications…
Former Subclass 489 regional state nomination
25% waited within 18 months, 50% within 21 months,75% within 25months or within,90% within 29months or within
The latest processing data for Subclass 189/491/190/489 obtained from the Department of Home Affairs:
Subclass 489 to Subclass 887 transition
25% waited within 15 months, 50% within 15 months,75% within 17months or within,90% within 22months or within
Applications lodged in September 2020 remain at an unchanged pace…
Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa
The government-endorsed activities stream established specifically under COVID-19,25% waited 34 daysor within, 50% waited 56 daysor within,75% within 84 days; 90% within 5 months — processing for the Subclass 408 continues at a relatively fast pace
The Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa added a COVID-19 stream in the middle of last year in response to the pandemic,workers in critical shortage industriescan not only renew at no cost but continue to work full-time; from last week, the tourism and hospitality industry has been added to the list of critical shortage sectors!
Applicants working in key critical shortage industries (agriculture, logistics, healthcare, food processing, aged care, disability care, childcare,tourism and hospitality) are also exempt from the visa application charge,with visa duration of up to 12 months and full work rights.
The definition of tourism and hospitality industries is primarily based on the ANZSIC industry classification codes under the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), specifically theAccommodation and Food Services Division (Division of Accommodation and Food Services)
Accommodation, which mainly covers businesses that provideaccommodation servicesto guests and tourists, typically including:
1. Camping grounds
2. Caravan parks
3. Hotels
4. Motels
5. Resorts
6. Holiday apartments
7. Ski lodges
8. Student accommodation (excluding boarding schools)
9. Youth hostels
Food servicescover three sub-groups
Group 451 includes cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services
Group 452 includes pubs and bars
Group 453 includes clubs
Group 451 includes cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services
Cafés and restaurants should be fairly self-explanatory.
Takeaway services include familiar fast-food outlets (McDonald’s, KFC, Hungry Jack’s, etc.), food courts in shopping centres, mobile food vans, bubble tea shops, and the like.
Note, however, that common bakeries (where bread is made and sold in the same shop) are excluded, as is retail liquor.
Group 453 includes clubs
Clubs primarily provide services to members, including gambling, sporting activities, and other social activities.
Group 453 includes clubs
Clubs primarily provide services to members, including gambling, sporting activities, and other social activities.
If you have no other visa options and have been unable to leave Australia due to COVID-19, you may be eligible to apply for the Subclass 408.
Additionally, the latest change is thatapplicants can now apply for the Subclass 408 visa within 90 days before their current visa expires or within 28 days after it expires.
For more details, please see:Working in bubble tea shops, restaurants, or fast food? You could get this full-time “work visa” for free! Official guidance on which tourism and hospitality businesses qualify.
If you would like to assess your eligibility for the Subclass 408 visa,
get in touch with us!
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Subclass 820/801 onshore partner migration
The 25% and 50% waiting times broadly reflect actual outcomes we are seeing — in a word: fast!
Subclass 309/100 offshore partner migration
25% waited within 5 months, 50% within 10 months,75% within 22 months; 90% within 29 months
Subclass 143 Contributory Parent visa
Still no grants — no data available
4Employer-sponsored visa categories — Subclass 482
Subclass 482 nomination:25% waited within 21 days, 50% within 28 days,75% waited 40 daysor within;90% waited 54 days
Subclass 482 Short-Term stream visa: 25% waited within 37 days, 50% within 4 months,75% waited 8 monthsor within;90% waited 11 months
Subclass 482 Medium-Term stream visa: 25% waited within 22 days, 50% within 56 days,75% waited 5 monthsor within;90% waited within 8 months
In the 2021–22 financial year, employer-sponsored nomination and visa processing for occupations on the PMSOL list is very fast — including the highly sought-after accountant!If you are struggling on the Subclass 189 or state nomination pathway, do not let your work experience go to waste — contact us to assess your eligibility for employer sponsorship.
In particular, newly added to the priority PMSOL list:
Accountant (General) (many nominations recently granted)
External/internal Auditor
Civil Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Multimedia Specialist
Analyst Programmer
Developer Programmer
Software Engineer
Software and Applications Programmers nec
ICT Security Specialist
and other occupations on the PMSOL listreceive priority processing, and if offshore, may also be granted a travel exemption. The new financial year budget has also confirmed thatemployer-sponsored migration remains a priority programme for this financial year.
To assess or enquire about employer sponsorship,
contact our team below
Subclass 858 Global Talent visa
The GTI stream, which most applicants pursue,25% waited within 35 days, 50% within 59 days,75% waited 4 monthsor within;90% waited within 5 months
From our extensive case history, the part of the GTI process that takes the longest is obtaining the invitation; once invited, visa processing is generally fast. There is considerable variation across fields, and as it is very much case by case, professionally uncovering supporting evidence and presenting your strengths is critical. For recent policy changes, please see:No English requirement + PR for the whole family + fast-track citizenship — a priority migration pathway! Exclusive analysis: how to “get invited more easily” and “stand out” in recent rounds!
These Department of Home Affairs figures are indeed for reference only — the exact number of months may not be precise, but they do reflect the relative speed of visa grants.
If you would like a more “ground-level” picture of grant outcomes —
the latest weeklyvisa grant updatesare published: follow the migration weekly bulletin, released every Sunday,
and the latest edition is attached here:[Australia Migration Weekly Bulletin — Issue 214] Treasurer signals increase in migration quota!? Victoria snaps up IT talent, NSW issues new Subclass 190 invitations! Travel exemption processing loopholes under scrutiny!
A summary of recent grant and invitation outcomes across all categories:Press and hold to access — the webpage is continuously updated and we strongly recommend saving it
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