24 Jan How Long Will My Visa Take To Be Processed?
Australia raised its ceiling on permanent migration in a move that will allow as many as 35,000 to 195,000 more foreign workers to come to Australia as a part of an effort to ease skilled labour shortages (Source). Now, more than ever is high time to apply for a visa, if you have the means and qualifications. After you have done all the necessary documentation, what’s left is to lodge the application – and the question that always pops up is how long will my visa application be processed?
Processing times vary and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is quoting processing times of anything between 15 days to 24 months, depending on the type of visa application.
The Department has launched a new processing time guide to make it easier to check how long visa applications take to process. This is a handy tool that Registered Migration Agents and applicants use as a guide on visa processing times.
As per the Department website, visa applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and processing times vary for a number of reasons, the most common factors are:
- Whether the applications have been submitted along with the necessary supporting documents
- Whether a paper application has been lodged, as online application is more streamlined
- Whether you have responded timely to the Case Officer’s request for more information
- How long it takes for DHA to perform the required checks
- How long it takes to receive information from external agencies, particularly relating to health, character, and national security requirements
- How many places are available in the migration program for permanent visa applications
- If the case is complex, the processing time is likely to be impacted
With this in mind, anyone who is seeking to lodge or has already submitted their applications can look up the DHA Visa Processing time tool to see the estimate of how long the visa application will be processed. The timeframe is based on how long it has taken to process recently finalized applications. It does not guarantee that applications will be finalized within this timeframe, it could be shorter or longer but within a reasonable time.
The DHA Visa Processing time tool, however, only check for processing times of visas that appears in the dropdown list.
EXAMPLE: 186 DE SUBCLASS VISA TYPE PROCESSING TIMES
STEP 1. Select Visa Type
STEP 2. Select Visa Stream
Depending on the Visa type, it may have different streams. Choose one which is appropriate for your visa class. In this example, we have selected the Employer Nomination Scheme Visa (Subclass 186) which has three different streams.
STEP 3. Choose Application Date
If you don’t have a set application date, you can always choose the actual date.
STEP 4. Click Submit to show the estimate 186 visa processing time.
Processing times for 186 Visa
To have a better insight on the visa processing time, you can also check further details on the DHA Global Processing times which will have further details about the Visa application processing times.
EXAMPLE: 482 TSS SUBCLASS VISA TYPE PROCESSING TIMES
STEP 1. Select Visa Type
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