Understanding visa processing times and what affects them

Home Affairs has published median processing times for the most common visa categories to give applicants a realistic picture of how long decisions typically take. For Skilled Permanent visas, the median time is 11 months, while Partner visas take around 17 months. Skilled Temporary visas are processed much faster at 47 days. These are median times, meaning some applications may be decided faster and others slower.

Processing times vary for many reasons beyond your control. These include delays waiting for health checks, character assessments, national security checks, and responses from external agencies. The number of applications the department receives, application complexity, and changes to government policy can all affect how long your application takes.

What you can control matters too. Submitting a complete application with all required documents upfront is the single most important step to avoid delays. For temporary work visas, submitting nomination and visa applications together can speed things up. Applications are not always processed in the order they're received – priority depends on visa type and government directions.

For the most current processing times and detailed information specific to your visa type, check the Home Affairs website or their visa processing times guide.