Processing sped up? Really? The latest official figures show both Subclass 190 and 189 grants have accelerated! Find Subclass 491/407/482/820 and more inside!
On 18 February 2021, the Department of Home Affairs updated visa processing times again,based on data for the month of January 2021.
A note up front:
75% Of Visas Processed means:
75% of approved applications in this visa category were processed within this time or less
90% Of Visas Processed means:
90% of approved applications in this visa category were processed within this time or less
This Department of Home Affairs reference speed does not distinguish between onshore and offshore applications.
Subclass 189 (points-based)
75% within 6 months or less, sped up by 12 months (last month it was adjusted to 20 months or less, and the time before that 75% needed 11 months); 90% within 17 months or less, sped up by 7 months!
This official reference speed for Subclass 189 is for reference only…
Subclass 190 (state nomination)
75% within 6 months or less, sped up by 4 months; 90% within 10 months or less, sped up by 2 months
Subclass 190’s speed is a bit more normal, and there have been grants recently, but mainly concentrated in computing and engineering, or other in-demand fields.
Subclass 491 (regional state nomination)
State-government-nominated stream: 75% within 7 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 9 months or less, slowed by 1 month
Family-sponsored stream: 75% within 10 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 11 months, slowed by 1 month.
Based on the grants we’ve seen recently, Subclass 491 has slightly fewer than Subclass 190, and is likewise concentrated mainly in computing and engineering, or other in-demand fields.
Subclass 489 (former regional state nomination)
75% within 16 months or less, unchanged; 90% within 22 months or less, also unchanged
Most of those with long Subclass 489 waits are applicants offshore — 3,985 have already been waiting 12-18 months, of which 3,507 applicants are offshore, and a further 663 have waited more than 18 months, of which 538 are offshore.
Subclass 489 transitioning to Subclass 887
75% within 21 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 26 months or less, unchanged.
Subclass 887 has slowed considerably over this period, and the figures show processing has only reached applications lodged in September 2020 — this progress remains stalled…
485PSW
75% within 5 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 11 months or less, slowed by 7 months.
Subclass 500 (Student visa)
VET stream: 75% within 4 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 5 months or less, unchanged
Higher education stream: 75% within 72 days or less, sped up by around 2 weeks; 90% within 5 months or less, sped up by 1 month
February, March and April are all peak renewal months, and as always the Subclass 485 speed is starting to slow down. If you need to renew — student visa/485/600 visitor visa, etc. — please get in touch early to plan ahead!
This official Department of Home Affairs reference really is for reference only — the exact number of months isn’t necessarily accurate, but it still reflects the relative speed of grants.
If you’d like a more “on-the-ground” picture of how grants are actually going—
A summary of recent grants and invitations across all categories:you can press and hold below to view it — the webpage is updated continuously, so we strongly recommend you save it
Subclass 189 EOI by occupation
latest backlog data
Press and hold the QR code to view!Remember to bookmark it!
Subclass 820 (onshore partner migration)
75% within 23 months or less, unchanged; 90% within 28 months or less, also unchanged
Except in extreme cases, based on what we’re seeing with our clients, the overall grant speed for Subclass 820 onshore partner migration is still accelerating,this week several visas lodged around the middle of 2020 have already been granted.
Subclass 309 (offshore partner migration)
75% within 19 months or less, slowed by 2 months; 90% within 23 months or less, unchanged
Subclass 143 (Contributory Parent migration)
no data available — it’s simply blank
For now, the fastest processing still only reaches applications lodged in early-to-mid 2016. This financial year’s parent migration quota has been cut from previous years’ 7,175 to 4,500, and the approval quota could well be used up by February.
The latest news on parent migration recently is
Subclass 482 (employer sponsorship)
482 nomination: 75% need 5 months, 90% need 7 months
482 Short-Term stream: 75% need 6 months, 90% need 9 months
482 Medium-Term stream: 75% need 5 months, 90% need 8 months
If you’re struggling on the Subclass 189/state nomination path, don’t waste your work experience — 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,you’ll get priority processing, and if you’re offshore you may also be able to get a travel exemption to enter Australia.
If you’re in accounting, or other ICT and engineering occupations, there are of course opportunities too!This week we had Marketing Specialist and 261312 Developer Programmer occupations, among others, either receive nomination or be granted!
If you’d like an assessment and consultation on employer sponsorship
you can contact our customer service below
GTI (Global Talent Independent)
there’s no statistical data available yet
Subclass 407 (Training visa)75% within 5 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 11 months or less, slowed by 1 month
Subclass 408 (Temporary Activity visa)
the government-endorsed activity stream that student visa holders fall under, specially created in response to the pandemic,75% within 5 months or less, slowed by 1 month; 90% within 7 months or less, slowed by 2 months
To respond to the pandemic, a COVID-19 stream was added to the Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa in the middle of last year — those who qualify can not only renew for free, but can also continue working full-time.
Applicants working in critical and in-demand industries (agriculture, logistics, healthcare, food processing, aged care, disability care, childcare, etc.) can also have the 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 stranded in Australia because of the pandemic, you may also be able to apply for Subclass 408.
The Subclass 408 visa has also recently been relaxed further: if you’re currently in Australia and unable to leave because of the pandemic, and at the time of applying for the 408 your current substantive temporary visa has 90 days or less of validity remaining (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 an offer in aged care, agriculture, childcare, disability care, food processing or healthcare, you can apply for the Subclass 408 visa to continue 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 have not yet been decided.If you’d like an assessment for the Subclass 408 visa, feel free to contact us!
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Reply in the official account withany of the following numbers or keywords (not as a comment at the bottom of the article),to get the most timely and professional migration news!Reply [A] to view the directory (covering all topics)!
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Reply: 007 → employer-sponsored visas
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Reply: 016 → TAFE study
Reply: 017 → Canadian migration for Australian international students
Reply: 018 → Subclass 407 Training visa
Reply: 019 → Subclass 408 Temporary Activity visa
Reply: 020 → New Zealand migration
Is there a time limit on the Subclass 485 application? What is negative gearing? Can Subclass 491 convert to Subclass 189 or 190?Click “Original link”, to learn some little-known migration facts!
