At last, the Department of Home Affairs has updatedthe December 2021 and Januarygrantedapplicants’general waiting times (January was not updated), In this update, they have again provided the 25% and 50% data points, meaning:
25% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sapplicants in that category who were granted, where25% waited within this time period
50% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sapplicants in that category who were granted, where50% waited within this time period
75% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sapplicants in that category who were granted, where75% waited within this time period
90% Of Visas Processedrefers to last month’sapplicants in that category who were granted, where90% waited within this time period
“Slower” “Faster” “Unchanged”refer to comparisons against the waiting times of applicants granted in the month prior to last.
However, November still showed no improvement in the grant speed for skilled migration visas.
The current processing arrangements published on the Department of Home Affairs website
are for limited reference only.
First, under special COVID-19 arrangements, priority is given to those currently exempt from entry restrictions:
– Immediate family members of citizens and PR holders, including parents
– Travellers within the international Safe Travel Zone
– Temporary visa holders eligible for entry exemption, including:
* Skilled visa holders
* International students
* Humanitarian and rescue visa holders
* Working holiday visa holders and provisional family visa holders
Processing of skilled visas then follows this priority order:
First: employer-sponsored visas, GTI, and Subclass 188 for occupations on the PMSOL or in agriculture
Second: occupations in a Critical Sector
Then back to regional employer-sponsored visas
Fifth: Subclass 491 regional state-nominated
Eighth: Subclass 489 former regional state-nominated
Ninth: Subclass 190 state-nominated
Tenth: Subclass 189
In general, applicants who are onshore are given processing priority.
Subclass 189 — Points-tested
25% waited within 47 days; 50% within 5 months; 75% within 21 months — slower than the previous update; 90% within 33 months — also slower
The gap between healthcare occupations and other occupations in the Subclass 189 queue continues to widen. Our most recent Subclass 189 grant was in nursing (submitted September 2021). Subclass 189 invitations are now extremely rare,with rounds only every three months and just a few hundred invitations per round. The January round was almost entirely healthcare-related, with only a handful of engineering invitations, and the points score required for a Subclass 189 invitation remains high.As a result, there are not many new applications in critical occupations to process; over these past months we have seen more backlog clearance activity, though the numbers appear relatively small.
Subclass 190 — State-nominated
25% waited within 4 months; 50% within 7 months; 75% within 8 months; 90% within 22 months — slightly faster than the previous update. (Note: the chart below contains an error — please refer to the text above.)
Subclass 491 — Skilled Work Regional (State-nominated)
State government-nominated stream,25% waited within 78 days; 50% within 6 months;75% within 9 months; 90% within 20 months
Family-nominated stream,25% waited within 73 days; 50% within 4 months;75% within 10 months; 90% within 13 months — largely unchanged
The Subclass 491 queue saw a focused backlog clearance over the past two weeks. Most of our clients in this stream are accountants, and the numbers were not particularly high. Since that week, there has been no further news…
Proactively preparing supplementary documents in advance
We have recently been receiving requests for supplementary documents for applications lodged between 2019 and mid-2020. We recommend that applicants who also submitted in 2019 or 2020 consider:
1. Proactively obtaining updated police clearance certificates,If, after obtaining a Chinese police clearance, you have remained in Australia without leaving, you only need to update the Australian police clearance — and vice versa.
2. A number of our clients have received requests from the Department of Home Affairs to submit an updated Form 80 (though not all have).Since Form 80 has been updated over the past two years, and the Department will require you to update your residential and employment history,we recommend you prepare in advance by carefully recalling your history, so you are ready to complete the form when requested.
3. If your application includes a spouse or partner, some routinepartner relationship supporting documents can be prepared and updated in advance.
Note: medical examinations are also only valid for one year, but you can only update them when contacted by a Department of Home Affairs case officer — you cannot do this proactively.
Subclass 489 — Former Skilled Regional (State-nominated)
25% waited within 19 months; 50% within 21 months; 75% within 25 months; 90% within 30 months
For the Subclass 489, there is no longer a distinction between a new and old backlog — all remaining applications have been waiting a very long time, and most applicants are offshore. Any movement at all is a positive sign.
The latest Subclass 189/491/190/489 processing data obtained from the Department of Home Affairs:
Subclass 489 to Subclass 887 Conversion
25% waited within 15 months; 50% within 15 months; 75% within 17 months; 90% within 22 months,
applications submitted in September 2020 continue to progress at a glacial pace…We have just today received a grant for an application submitted in April 2020 — a family of four, all onshore.
Subclass 408 — Temporary Activity Visa
The government-approved activity stream, specifically created under COVID-19 arrangements,25% waited within 43 days; 50% within 61 days; 75% within 85 days; 90% within 4 months. Subclass 408 processing has slowed slightly, but overall continues at a relatively fast pace.
The Subclass 408 Temporary Activity Visa added a COVID-19 pandemic event stream mid-last year,for those working in critical shortage industrieswho can not only renew their visa at no cost, but also continue working full-time. From last week, the tourism and hospitality sector has been added to the critical shortage industries!
Applicants working in key critical shortage industries (agriculture, logistics, healthcare, food processing, aged care, disability care, child care,tourism and hospitality) are also eligible for a fee waiver,with a visa duration of up to 12 months and full work rights.
The tourism and hospitality sector is defined primarily according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) industry code classification ANZSIC underthe Division of Accommodation and Food Servicess)
Accommodation covers businesses that provideaccommodation servicesto travellers, which generally includes:
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 and beverage servicescomprise three sub-groups:
Group 451 covers cafés, restaurants, and takeaway food services
Group 452 covers pubs and bars
Group 453 covers clubs
Group 451 covers cafés, restaurants, and takeaway food services
Cafés and restaurants should be straightforward to understand.
Takeaway food services include familiar fast-food outlets (such as McDonald’s, KFC, Hungry Jack’s, etc.), food courts in shopping centres, as well as mobile food vans and bubble tea shops.
However, please note that common bakeries (where bread is made and sold on the same premises) are not included, nor is retail alcohol sales.
Group 453 covers clubs
Clubs primarily provide services to members, including gambling, sporting events, and other social activities.
Group 453 covers clubs
Clubs primarily provide services to members, including gambling, sporting events, and other social activities.
If you have no other visa options and are stranded in Australia due to COVID-19, you may also be eligible to apply for the Subclass 408.
Additionally, the latest change is thatyou may now apply for the Subclass 408 visa within 90 days before your current visa expires, or within 28 days after it expires.
For more details, see:Working at a bubble tea shop, restaurant, or fast-food outlet? Apply for free for this full-time “work visa”! Official breakdown of what counts as tourism and hospitality.
If you would like an assessment for the Subclass 408 visa,
please get in touch with us!
A group for up-to-date information on returning to Australia has been set up —
those who wish to join
can add our customer service and include the note: Return to Australia
Subclass 820/801 — Partner Migration (Onshore)
The 25% and 50% waiting times broadly reflect what we are seeing in practice. Partner migration has higher processing priority than any skilled visa stream and is processed consistently,in one word: fast!
Subclass 309/100 — Partner Migration (Offshore)
25% waited within 6 months; 50% within 9 months;75% within 16 months; 90% within 27 months
Subclass 143 — Contributory Parent Migration
Still no grants — no data available
4482 Employer-Sponsored Visas
Subclass 482 Nomination:25% waited within 1 day; 50% within 12 days;75% within 39 days; 90% within 10 months (1 day is extraordinary — though we do have clients in occupations such as chef and accountant receiving their nominations within a very short time. The processing priority given to employer sponsorship is genuinely high)
Subclass 482 Short-term Stream visa: 25% waited within 36 days; 50% within 53 days;75% within 3 months; 90% within 7 months
Subclass 482 Medium-term Stream visa: 25% waited within 33 days; 50% within 49 days;75% within 5 months; 90% within 14 months
In the 2021–22 financial year, employer-sponsored nominations and visa processing for occupations on the PMSOL have been very fast — and accountants are among the most in-demand occupations!If you are struggling along 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.
This is especially relevant for occupations newly added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL), including:
Accountant (General) (a large number of nominations granted recently)
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 PMSOLwhich receive priority processing, and if you are offshore you may also be eligible for an entry exemption. The new financial year budget has also confirmed thatemployer sponsorship remains a priority programme for this financial year.
If you would like to assess your eligibility or seek advice on employer sponsorship,
please contact our team below.
Subclass 858 — Global Talent (National Innovation Visa)
The GTI stream, which most applicants use,25% waited within 33 days; 50% within 45 days;75% within 90 days; 90% within 5 months
Based on our extensive case history, the longest wait for GTI applicants is typically the invitation. Once invited, visa processing tends to be relatively fast. There is significant variation between fields, and the professional preparation of materials and demonstration of strengths is critical — it is very much a case-by-case matter. For recent policy changes, see:A priority migration pathway — no English required, PR for the whole family, and fast citizenship! Exclusive analysis: how to “secure an invitation” and “showcase your strengths” right now!
The Department’s official processing times are truly just a guide — the specific figures may not always be accurate, but they do give a sense of the relative speed of grant processing.
If you want a more “on-the-ground” picture of current grant outcomes —
the latest weeklyupdates on grants across all visa categoriesupdate: follow our weekly migration bulletin, published every Sunday,
and we have included the latest edition here:[Issue 222 — Australian Migration Weekly Bulletin] Offshore skilled migration is truly rebounding! Some regions in NSW have exhausted their Subclass 491 quota; Queensland has used nearly half its quota; and Western Australia is set to open its borders!
A summary of recent grants and invitation rounds across all visa categories:Long-press below to view — the page is continually updated, and we strongly recommend you save it.
Study abroad and migration video resources
Previous articles
Why Subclass 143 Parent visa processing feels like it has been stuck since mid-2016
Why Subclass 143 Parent visa processing feels like it has been stuck since mid-2016
Offshore skilled migration to Australia in the post-COVID era — a “breakthrough” invitation moment!
Now open! South Australia state nomination (offshore) — 259 occupations added, totalling 389!
Now open! South Australia state nomination (offshore) — 259 occupations added, totalling 389!
Which visas allow you to add a spouse or partner after lodgement and before the grant?
Migration information sharing and Q&A group
Step 1: Long-press to add our customer service
Step 2: After adding, please
A brief guide to the Subclass 155/157 renewal! How to maintain your PR when living in China long-term?Click “Original Link”to view and share
