The latest today: the Department of Home Affairs has updatedthe March 2021 visa-grant cohort’sgeneral waiting times
75% Of Visas Processedmeans that, of the applicants granted a visa in that category last month, 75% had a waiting time within this period
90% Of Visas Processedmeans that, of the applicants granted a visa in that category last month, 90% had a waiting time within this period
“Slower” “Faster” “Unchanged”refers to the comparison against the waiting times of applicants granted visas the month before that.
Subclass 189 (points-tested)
75% within 12 months, one month faster than the last update; 90% within 18 months or less.
Subclass 190 (state nominated)
75% within 12 months or less, 3 months slower; 90% within 14 months or less, unchanged.
Over the past few weeks, Subclass 190 and 189 have taken turns seeing waves of grants, but these have been concentrated mainly in the popular accounting, computing and engineering fields or other in-demand occupations, with most applicants waiting onshore.
Subclass 491 (regional state/territory nominated)
State/territory government nomination stream: 75% within 10 months or less, 1 month slower; 90% within 12 months or less, 2 months slower
Family sponsorship stream: 75% within 11 months, unchanged; 90% within 12 months, 1 month slower
Subclass 489 (former regional state/territory nominated)
75% within 17 months or less, unchanged; 90% within 23 months or less, unchanged
The vast majority of the Subclass 489 backlog is now offshore…
Subclass 489 to 887 transition
75% within 15 months or less, 1 month slower; 90% within 23 months or less, 4 months slower
Processing is still only up to applications lodged in September 2020, with progress continuing to stall…
485PSW
75% within 6 months or less, unchanged; 90% within 7 months or less, notably faster
Offshore Subclass 485 grants are also continuing steadily.
Subclass 500 (student visa)
VET stream: 75% within 4 months or less; 90% within 6 months or less, 1 month faster
Higher education stream: 75% within 69 days or less; 90% within 4 months or less, broadly similar to before
February, March and April are peak renewal months, and as always the Subclass 485 processing speed is starting to slow down. Students needing to renew — student visas, 485, visitor (Subclass 600) visas and so on — please get in touch early to plan ahead!
For recommended renewal options, see:
This official reference from the Department of Home Affairs really is for reference only — the exact number of months may not be precise, but it still reflects the relative speed of visa grants.
If you’d like a more “on-the-ground” picture of how grants are actually going —
the latest weeklyvisa grant developments across all categories,updated— you can follow the migration weekly bulletin published every Sunday like clockwork; the newest issue is attached for you below:[Australia Migration Weekly Bulletin – Issue 180] Grants Pour In for Both Subclass 189 & 190! PR Quotas for Popular Categories Already Used Up! “Australia’s High-Volume Migration Program Is Set to Return!”
A recent summary of grants and invitations across all visa categories:Press and hold below to view — the webpage is continually updated, so we strongly recommend you save it
Subclass 820 (onshore partner migration)
75% within 24 months or less, 1 month slower; 90% within 27 months or less,1 month slower
Aside from extreme cases, based on what we’re seeing with our own clients, overall Subclass 820 onshore partner visa grant speeds are still picking up, with waves of grants every week. The Department of Home Affairs’ visa processing team also mentioned at a recent briefing that partner visa quotas are now plentiful, that processing will continue, and that further acceleration can be expected!If you’re eligible for partner migration, get in touch with us right away!
Subclass 309 (offshore partner migration)
75% within 22 months or less, 4 months slower; 90% within 24 months or less, 1 month slower
Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent migration)
No grants recorded — no data available
The PR grant quota for Subclass 143 this financial year has been confirmed as fully used, with the fastest processing currently only reaching applications lodged in early-to-mid 2016. This financial year’s parent migration quota has been cut from 7,175 in previous years to 4,500.
4Subclass 482 (employer sponsored)
482 nomination: 75% take 5 months, 90% take 9 months
482 S-T (Short-Term stream): 75% take 7 months, 90% take 11 months
482 M-T (Medium-Term stream): 75% take 5 months, 90% take 9 months
If you’re struggling on the Subclass 189 or state nomination path, don’t let your work experience go to waste — contact us to assess your eligibility for employer sponsorship, especially if you’re inoccupations on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) such as 233512 Mechanical Engineer, 261312 Developer Programmer and 261313 Software Engineer,which receive priority processing — and if you’re offshore, you may even be granted a travel exemption to enter Australia.
If you’re in accounting or other ICT and engineering occupations, there are opportunities for you too! Recentlywe’ve had clients in occupations such as Marketing Specialist and 261312 Developer Programmer receive nominations or grants!
If you’d like an assessment or consultation on employer sponsorship
you can contact our consultant below
Subclass 858 (Global Talent)
For the Global Talent Independent (GTI) stream that most applicants use, 75% take 65 days or less, and 90% take 88 days or less.
From our extensive track record of successful cases, we’ve found the gap between GTI fields can be quite large, and processing is very much case by case — professionally developing your evidence and presenting your strengths matters a great deal. For details, see:
Subclass 408 (Temporary Activity visa)
the government-recognised activity stream created specially in response to the pandemic,75% within 5 months or less, 3 months faster; 90% within 6 months or less, 3 months faster
In response to the pandemic, a COVID-19 stream was added to the Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa last year. Eligible applicants can not only renew for free, but also continue working full-time.
Applicants working in critical, in-demand industries (agriculture, logistics, healthcare, food processing, aged care, disability care, childcare, etc.) can also have their visa application charge waived, with a visa length of up to 12 months and full work rights.If you have no other visa options and are stuck in Australia because of the pandemic, you may also be able to apply for Subclass 408.
The Subclass 408 visa has also been further relaxed recently: if you’re currently in Australia and unable to leave because of the pandemic, and the substantive temporary visa you hold has 90 days or less validity left when you apply for the 408 (or your last substantive temporary visa has expired but by no more than 28 days), and you’re unable to apply for any other temporary visa besides the 408, and you have a job or job offer in aged care, agriculture, childcare, disability care, food processing or healthcare, you can apply for the Subclass 408 visa to keep living and working in Australia.
The new legislation took effect on 6 January 2021, and applies both to newly lodged visa applications and to applications lodged before 6 January that had not yet been granted.If you’d like an assessment of the Subclass 408 visa, please get in touch with us!
For recent data on the visa application backlog, see
For the Department of Home Affairs’ visa processing team’s latest briefing on processing updates, see:The latest official migration news! Do Department officials think Subclass 189 will pick up next financial year? Visa processing arrangements! The current state of state nomination quotas and applications!
↓ Recommended short video ↓
Click the image to read the full article
“The Australian Government clearly intends to restore high migration numbers!” “It needs a large, selective migration program more urgently than other countries!”
Grants Pour In for Both Subclass 189 & 190! PR Quotas for Popular Categories Already Used Up! “Australia’s High-Volume Migration Program Is Set to Return!”
Teachers, doctors, architects, researchers… all are invited! A low-cost, no-language-requirement, fast-track Australian migration programme with opportunities across every industry
Will Australia’s borders really stay closed until 2024?? NO! Here’s what everyone is actually saying! Subclass 190/189/491 processing wait-time data, updated!
Popular occupations are being invited frequently right now! A migration option you can’t afford to miss – a stable, clear and time-saving state nomination pathway
A green card in one step! What low-cost Canadian migration programmes are available for applicants in Australia or at home?
Migration Information Sharing & Q&A Group
Step 1: Press and hold to add our consultant
Step 2: After adding, please
Excellent value! Highly flexible! A very low barrier to entry! Suitable for all kinds of people!!Click “Original Link”, to learn about part-time study and work!
