Australia gives priority to processing visa applications, which will shorten wait periods for applicants in 2024 for important visa programs like student, skilled, and visitor visas.

In an effort to expedite the processing of applications, the Australian government has given priority to processing visa applications that are submitted in person. Redistributing resources and hiring additional personnel are among the steps done to expedite processing without compromising the integrity of the program.

As a result, processing times for most visa programs have improved, especially for temporary visas, and the number of outstanding visa applications has dramatically dropped.

Even with these advancements, the backlog of older applications continues to cause problems for particular visa programs and affect processing timelines overall. The government is putting a lot of effort into getting these cases cleared, and once this is accomplished, processing times should get even better.

The table below displays the average processing times for the main visa types in July 2024:

Program for Permanent Visas

Visa Category	Median Processing Time (July 2024)	Comments
Skilled (Permanent)	16 months	Focus on reducing processing times for all permanent visas. Variations may occur as older applications are finalized.
Partner (First Stage)	12 months	Similar focus on reducing processing times, with monthly variations as older applications are processed.

Program for Temporary Visas

Visa Category	Median Processing Time (July 2024)	Comments
Skilled (Temporary)	33 days
Student	50 days	Applications processed under priority order Ministerial Direction No. 107. Lower priority applications are processed later.
Visitor	Less than 1 day
Working Holiday Maker	Less than 1 day

The focus on lowering processing times across the board is highlighted by these charts, which provide an overview of the current wait periods for various visa types.

Note: Within each category, individual visas have varying processing dates, and certain applications may take longer to complete than others. Applications impacted by Ministerial Direction 80 are not included in the data.

Applicants can consult the visa processing times guide on the Department of Home Affairs website to view the most recent processing timeframes for individual visa categories. This resource helps applicants manage their expectations and make appropriate plans by frequently updating information on the processing times for the majority of visas. However, processing time information might not be provided for some visa categories, such as those that are closed to new applicants or have too few decisions.

It is essential to provide all necessary documentation with visa applications in order to speed up the processing of those requests. In order to minimize processing delays, applicants can ensure that all required documents are included by using the checklists available on ImmiAccount.

To sum up, the Australian government is still committed to reducing the time it takes to process visa applications. To this end, more resources have been allocated, older applications are given priority, and regular updates on processing timelines are provided to ensure transparency.