Every so often,we share the latest visa processing figures with you — there’s simply no other way to put it. Processing times for skilled migration are painfully slow, especially for Subclass 189/491/190. Since the end of last financial year, the grant numbers have been dismal. After lodging, most applicants spend their time waiting… waiting… still waiting, and the queue just keeps growing……
For last month’s summary, see:Waiting for your grant? | Latest Subclass 190/491/189/489 grant numbers, backlog, new lodgements, and top occupations…
This month’s update is here……
Contributory Parent Migration
Processing Update — This Financial Year
Each month the Department of Home Affairs publishes current wait times for visa applications. Data for Subclass 143 is often absent because no grants were issued that month. However, based on departmental records,in the four months of the 2021–22 financial year up to 31 October 2021, the Department had finalised (including both grants and refusals)1,840 applications,although this is a drop in the ocean compared with the total backlog,the number of cases finalised appears to be higher than many had expected when compared with actual grants, and the quota for contributory parent migration this financial year is only around 3,600,which looks set to be exhausted ahead of schedule once again.
We have just had a Subclass 143 Contributory Parent visa granted today, lodged in late May 2016 and granted on 20 January 2022!
Sharing the processing timeline (click for a larger image) ——
Right behind it, a case converted from Subclass 103 to Subclass 143 was also granted today!
A Subclass 103 application was lodged on 3 December 2012 — a seemingly endless wait — before being converted to Subclass 143 on 9 September 2021. The Department requested further documents on 14 October 2021, the second instalment fee was paid on 14 January 2022, and it was granted today!
State-by-State
Visa Applications Lodged After Formal Nomination
Data: 1 September 2020 to 30 September 2021
These figures directly capture Subclass 491/190 applications lodged following formal state/territory nomination, giving a comprehensive picture of formal invitation activity across each state and territory,noting that from approximately July to October 2020, most states issued very few invitations as they were waiting for transitional quota allocations.
Subclass 190
Subclass 491
Below are the formal state nomination quotas for each state across both financial years.
Because there is a time lag between receiving formal nomination and lodging the visa application, the numbers will not align exactly; comparing against the formal nomination quota gives a general picture:the overwhelming majority of states have not wasted any of their Subclass 491/190 quota — demand consistently exceeds supply.
At present,the speed of Subclass 190/491 grant processing bears virtually no relationship to which state issued the nomination,and there is no evidence that any particular state’s Subclass 190/491 applications are processed faster — all are slow.
Mainland China nationals.
Lodgements / Grants
Again, data covers 1 September 2020 to 30 September 2021, noting that these are not paired grant rates, though there are some meaningful findings:
Subclass 189 Skilled Independent
Mainland China nationals lodged 183 applications; 959 grants were issued in the same period; India (ranked second) lodged 279 and received 1,157 grants;while New Zealand (ranked first) lodged 5,241 applications and received 3,695 grants.
[Subclass 189 appears to still have 6,500 quota places, so some applicants are holding out hope,but looking at the gap between grants and new lodgements, outside the NZ Subclass 189 Stream every other nationality group is simply drawing down the existing backlog]
Subclass 190 State Nomination
Mainland China nationals lodged 2,912 applications; 2,501 grants were issued in the same period;India (ranked first) lodged 5,621 and received 4,915 grants; Nepal lodged 2,923 and received 1,955 grants, broadly comparable to the mainland China figure.
[The reason competition for state Subclass 190 nominations keeps intensifying is not that state governments are withholding invitations — it is genuinely a case of demand far exceeding supply,and competition for Subclass 190 places from applicants in other countries is significant]
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (State Nomination)
Mainland China nationals lodged 1,206 applications; 605 grants were issued in the same period; India (ranked first) lodged 6,681 and received 3,505 grants; Nepal lodged 3,619 and received 1,173 grants, broadly comparable to the mainland China figure.
[With most mainland China applicants hesitating over the Subclass 491,the opportunities have gone to others, and while we expect this situation to improve somewhat in the 2021–22 financial year as more applicants embrace the Subclass 491 pathway, others will become equally more open to it,so the advice remains: make decisions based on your own circumstances and abilities — at least there is a pathforward.]
Butwe also understand everyone’s hesitation— partly because of current Subclass 491 processing wait times…
A group for timely updates on returning to Australia has been set up
— those who wish to join
can add our customer service contact and note: Return to Australia
Awaiting Grant.
Over Six Months
As at 30 September 2021
Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional (State Nomination)
Nearly 6,000 Subclass 491 applications have been waiting more than six months, whether the applicant is onshore or offshore — processing is slow across the board. This data is from several months ago, and based on grant volumes since then, the current figure would be considerably higher.
The chart below shows the number of Subclass 190 and Subclass 189 applications that have been waiting more than six months.
After 1.5 years of waiting for a Subclass 491 grant with no result, switching to employer sponsorship led to a grant in just 2 months from scratch
Our client obtained a New South Wales Subclass 491 nomination as a Chef in July 2020 (an application we did not handle), lodging the visa in late July. The application has not been granted to this day. Chef is an occupation on the PMSOL priority processing list, and onshore Subclass 491 applications also sit at the second tier of skilled migration processing priority.
With a family of four unable to get their visa granted, the impact on their life arrangements was enormous. They contacted us last October seeking a Plan B,and after assessment we determined they met the employer sponsorship requirements and had two years of relevant work experience, making them eligible to apply directly for a Subclass 482, after which one further year of experience would allow them to apply for a Subclass 186 PR.Naturally the client had initial concerns — whether the Subclass 482 would proceed smoothly and whether self-employment history might add risk. After our assessment, we were confident the chances of success were strong. The visa application and employer nomination were lodged on 12 November 2021, and the nomination was approved in just one week (20 November).After completing health checks and providing additional documentation, the Subclass 482 was granted on 14 January! From application to grant took just two months, and by mid-year the client will meet the three-year work experience requirement to apply for a Subclass 186 Direct Entry pathway, with PR highly likely by the second half of this year!
Meanwhile, the original Subclass 491 remains completely silent to this day…
My occupation is also on the PMSOL list — why is my grant taking so long?
Many applicants also have occupations on the PMSOL priority processing list yet cannot seem to get their turn. The PMSOL priority classification is officially stated to apply to employer-sponsored applications only. While it is true that for a brief period during COVID certain categories — such as ANZSCO 2613/accounting Subclass 190 — were processed faster, since the end of last financial year and through more than half of this financial year, virtually no Subclass 189/190/491 grants have been issued onshore or offshore; recent grants have been almost exclusively in nursing and social work.
Here is a new angle worth exploring ——
Clearly, employer sponsorship genuinely holds the highest processing priority — not just on paper like the Subclass 491 — largely because employer representatives consistently follow up on their cases. As a result, for many applicants who are working while waiting endlessly for their Subclass 189, 190, or 491 to be granted,especially those in fields currently seeing faster processing such as accounting, Chef, IT, and engineering, if you already have two or three years of relevant work experience and your employer is in a sound position and willing to sponsor, it may be worth considering employer sponsorship as a backup pathway. Importantly, lodging an employer-sponsored application will not affect your existing skilled migration application in any way — whichever is granted first, you simply accept that one.
Of course, ultimately we hope the Department of Home Affairs will move quickly to accelerate processing across all visa categories so that everyone can receive their grant soon! If you would like to explore whether an employer sponsorship Plan B could work for you, get in touch with us!
Study / Migration
Resources
Video
Previous Articles
Three pieces of good news in one day! Work hour restrictions on all student visas confirmed to be lifted!
Three pieces of good news in one day! Work hour restrictions on all student visas confirmed to be lifted!
Subclass 489/491 holders affected by COVID-19 may extend by 3 years! Offshore Subclass 485 holders could return to Australia as early as next month!
2022: A comparison of multiple elite talent migration pathways
NSW first-round Subclass 190 invitations for engineering, IT and more — including offshore applicants! New pathway for overseas migrants to Australia opens!
Migration information sharing and Q&A group
Step 1: Long-press to add our customer service contact
Step 2: After adding, please
Another new opportunity for overseas migrants — a three-step pathway to ACT state nomination!Click “Original Article Link”to watch the video introduction!
