The Department of Home Affairs quietly updated its visa processing time reference again in early November; the previous update was in October.
Skilled Migration
189
50% waited 9 months, 1 month slower; 90% need 10 months, 1 month slower
Subclass 189 applications are processed strictly in lodgement order; the Department is currently working through applications lodged in December 2024, with most of November largely cleared and a very small number from the August 2025 invitation round already granted.
190
50% take 19 months, 2 months faster
90% take 26 months, 1 month slower
491
Subclass 190 grant volumes have increased noticeably in recent weeks, mostly for applications lodged in 2024 with some from the second half of 2023. Visible Subclass 491 grants have been fewer than Subclass 190.
The recent pace of Subclass 191 grants has been lukewarm — not completely stalled, with occasional clusters of grants. The dual-track pattern continues; we are seeing both second-half 2024 lodgements and early 2025 lodgements progress.
Employer-Sponsored
482 SID core skills stream-visa
50% take 3 months, 8 days slower
90% take 6 months, 1 month slower
482 SID Nomination
186DE
50% take 13 months, unchanged from before
90% take 18 months, unchanged from before
186TRT
50% take 14 months, 1 month slower
90% take 19 months, 1 month slower
Subclass 186 is currently processing March/April 2024 lodgements. DE and TRT are moving at broadly similar speeds, with DE marginally faster. A recent trend: visas are being granted quickly after nomination approval, and regional roles are being approved very fast — we have had 186 DE cases where both nomination and visa came through within a year.
494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional
50% take 7 months, 1 month slower
90% take 13 months, 2 months slower
407 Training visa
50% take 9 months, unchanged
90% take 12 months, 1 month slower
Subclass 407 has not seen many grants; processing is still largely around mid-2024 lodgements.
Family Stream
Parent Migration
Document requests for Parent visas Subclass 143 and 864 continue to progress,when we updated in October the queue had reached mid-June 2018; by early November it has moved to the end of June 2018, and document-request notices have been coming through quickly of late.
Subclass 101 Child visa
50% take 22 months, 2 months faster
90% take 31 months, 2 months slower
Partner Stream
820 stage
50% take 16 months, 3 months slower
90% take 20 months, 1 month slower
801 stage
50% take 8 months, 1 month faster
90% take 26 months, 8 months slower
309 stage
50% take 14 months, unchanged from last time
90% take 26 months, 2 months slower
100 stage
50% take 10 months, 1 month slower
90% take 21 months, 2 months slower
The partner category overall is progressing at a normal pace: the TR stage has advanced to mid-2024 and the PR stage has moved fully into the second half of the year. The partner migration backlog as at 30 June stood at 95,000 cases. The Department processed fewer applications year-on-year last year, citing additional time spent on older and more complex cases.
NewStars Group introductory video (Filmed in 2021) Migration Information Group 2025Subclass 189 invitation round on the 13th! Full NSW / Canberra / Tasmania allocations revealed; QLD and WA preview their invitations!
190/491 processing three date ranges simultaneously! The actual acceptance rate of the last 189 round was just over 50%!
Latest full NSW 190 invitation data; Tasmania issued 100; 491 reaches the orange band!
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