Update on visa processing times in Australia

Employers need to be aware of current visa processing times when hiring workers from overseas as these timelines directly impact workforce planning.

Below are the estimated visa processing times as published by the Department of Home Affairs in March 2025, based on the timeframe of previously finalised applications.

Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage – short term stream

• 50% of application will generally be processed in 69 days.
• 90% of applications will generally be processed in 7 months.

Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage – medium term stream

• 50% of applications will generally be processed in 69 days.
• 90% of applications will generally be processed in 7 months.

Subclass 482 Temporary Skills Shortage – labour agreement

• 50% of applications will generally be processed in 76 days.
• 90% of applications will generally be processed in 6 months.

Subclass 482 Skills in Demand – core skills

• 50% of application will generally be processed in 30 days.
• 90% of application will generally be processed in 47 days.

Subclass 482 Skills in Demand – specialist skills

• 50% of application will generally be processed in 9 days.
• 90% of application will generally be processed in 39 days.

Subclass 482 Skills in Demand – labour agreement

• 50% of application will generally be processed in 44 days.
• 90% of application will generally be processed in 48 days.

Order of processing

Skilled visa applications are processed according to government policy priorities, which are set out in Ministerial Direction No. 105.

 Skilled visa applications are processed in the following order of priority:

•  employer sponsored visa applications relating to occupations carried out in a designated regional area, including:
  • Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme visa
  • Subclass 187 Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa
  • Subclass 482 Temporary Skill Shortage visa
  • Subclass 494 Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa.
  • visa applications for healthcare or teaching occupations
•  employer sponsored visa applications where the applicant is nominated by an approved sponsor with  accredited status
•  visa applications for permanent and provisional visa subclasses that count towards the migration program, excluding the Subclass 188 (Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional)) visa
•  all other visa applications, assessed in order of date of lodgement.

The processing times for lower priority applications under the current Ministerial Direction can exceed standard processing times. For more information, visit the Department of Home Affairs’ website here.

Employers should also be aware of the Skilling Australia Fund levy when sponsoring overseas workers and understand their responsibilities regarding visa costs. 

If you have any questions about current processing times or what your business needed to do to lodge an employer sponsored visa application, please get in touch with our team below or contact us here.

Disclaimer
The information in this article is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavour to provide accurate and timely information, we do not guarantee that the information in this article is accurate at the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future.

Published by:

Rebecca Macmillan

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