Newstarsec The holiday schedules and emergency contact details for our Australian offices are shown above. Contracted clients are advised to confirm the specific holiday dates with the consultant handling your case.
We have also compiled the migration-related agencies’ 2025–2026 year-end holiday arrangements!
Department of Home Affairs
state governments
major skills assessment bodies
holiday closures and processing status are set out below so you can plan your visa and skills-assessment timing sensibly. Please be sure to save this for reference.
Department of Home Affairs — overall update
A general note first:
The federal Department of Home Affairs and most government agencies only publicly announce “public holidays”
, but past years show a noticeable drop in staffing over Christmas & the New Year period.
As of today, the Department is still granting visas as normal
, including:
191 / 491 / 190 / employer-sponsored / 143 parent migration, and we have recently received fresh grants and requests for further information.
From this week onwards, visa processing is expected to slow noticeably as the holidays overlap.This slowdown typically lasts 2–3 weeks, depending on each case officer’s individual leave.We expect processing speeds to return to normal by mid-January.
State government holiday schedules
✅ New South Wales (NSW)
Closed: 24 December 2025 – 9 January 2026
Reopens: 12 January 2026 (Monday)
No applications will be processed and no enquiries will be answered during this period.
If your visa or passport is due to expire during the closure and you need to request priority assessment,
please be sure to contact the state government before 12 December 2025 (Friday) so your case can be handled before the break.
✅ Western Australia (WA)
Closed: 25 December 2025
Reopens: 2 January 2026 at 8:30 am (WST)
During the closure:
no assessments or formal invitations will be issued
email enquiries will be batched and handled after reopening
✅ Canberra (ACT)
Closed: 24 December 2025 at 4:00 pm
Reopens: 5 January 2026 at 8:30 am
✅ Tasmania (TAS)
Closed: 24 December 2025 at 12:00 pm
Reopens: 2 January 2026
During the closure:
applicants can continue to lodge ROIs and formal nomination applications,
but processing is suspended, no enquiries will be answered, and no nomination invitations will be issued.
Skills assessment bodies — holiday summary
✅ VETASSESS
Closed: 23 December 2025 at 5:00 pm
Reopens: 5 January 2026
During the closure:
applications can still be lodged online
no assessments will be carried out and no enquiries answered
Priority processing reminder
5 December 2025is this year’s deadline for priority processing.
Priority service will be paused from 6 December, resuming on 5 January.
✅ ACS
Closed: 19 December 2025 at 12:00 pm
Reopens: 5 January 2026
Decision Ready (Decision Ready) applications:
lodge by 30 November → a result is guaranteed by 19 December.
Expect an additional delay of ≥4 weeks after the break.
If your visa expires during the break, be sure to lodge before 16 December.
✅ EA (Engineers Australia)
Holiday period: 22 December 2025 – 4 January 2026
Delays are possible across all channels, including the fast track.
✅ Accounting skills assessments
CPA
25 December 2025 – 2 January 2026
Holiday days are not counted toward processing time.
CA
24 December 2025 – 7 January 2026
IPA
22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026
For priority applications, submit a complete document set by 15 December.
✅ AITSL (Teachers)
Currently processing applications lodged the week of 1 December 2025.
Closed: 25 December 2025 – 2 January 2026
During the closure:
no phone calls will be answered
no progress enquiries will be responded to
The break will cause significant processing delays.
✅ ANMAC (Nursing)
Portal closed: 17 December 2025
Reopens: 7 January 2026
During the closure:
no new applications can be lodged
phone & email support are suspended
If your documents are complete, be sure to submit them before 17 December.
✅ AACA
22 December 2025 – 5 January 2026
Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory have not yet published their holiday schedules; we have emailed them for confirmation. Any assessment bodies not listed above also have not yet released their details.
We will post updates in the comments of this article as new information becomes available.
Newstarsec Group Introduction Video
(Filmed in 2021)
First public reveal of the 189 invitation-number formula by occupation! Canberra issues a new round, and state-nominated visa processing speeds up!
Latest skilled-migration visa data! Sharp rise in 190/491 grants; 191 grants top 12,000 in four months
10,000 invitations issued for 189 | Exact invitation numbers for the “Big Four” and other common occupations this round, with projection table!
Migration Information Group
2025
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Code: 01 — Australia’s most popular skilled migration programs: 189, 190, 491
Code: 02 — Work-to-migration in one step: employer-sponsored 482, 186, 494
Code: 03 — Study first, then migrate: recommended fields and courses
Code: 04 — High-school / gaokao / undergraduate study pathways
Code: 05 — Essential for student migrants: the 485 Temporary Graduate visa
Code: 06 — Arrange straight after PR: parent migration and visas
Code: 07 — Master of Marriage: partner migration
Code: 08 — Moving to Hong Kong: the QMAS and ASMTP talent schemes
Code: 09 — A must for parents, relatives and friends visiting: the 600 visa
Code: 10 — Weekly updates on grants, invitations, skills-assessment results and success stories
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