What do 50% and 90% processed mean?

Half (50%) or nine in ten (90%) of the recently decided applications in that stream were finalised within that time. They describe past decisions, not the progress of one application.

Why do some streams take months while others take days?

Home Affairs reports each stream separately and the published figures can differ widely. It does not give a reason for each gap, so use the figure for the exact stream in your application.

Is the result a guaranteed grant date?

No. The calculator compares your lodgement date with the published checkpoints. It is a statistical planning window, not a prediction or a guarantee.

AusVisaTime

Australia visa processing times

Select a visa subclass, stream and lodgement date to compare your wait with Home Affairs statistical checkpoints, not a predicted grant date.

Official benchmarks
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Current figures

Latest data update · 26 Oct 202619 streams changed since the previous Home Affairs publication.See what changed

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Subclass 186

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)

For skilled workers nominated by their employer for permanent residence in Australia.

Eligibility, costs and application steps

Build your waiting timeline

Two details are enough to compare your wait with current Home Affairs benchmarks.

Processing-time guide

Estimate an Australian visa decision window from your lodgement date

AusVisaTime compares a lodged application with current Home Affairs 50% and 90% processing-time checkpoints for 14 popular subclasses. The result is a statistical planning window, not an exact or guaranteed grant date.

Learn what 50% and 90% processed mean

Processing times at a glance

Current Home Affairs 50% and 90% processing-time checkpoints for every subclass we cover. Open a subclass to compare your own lodgement date.

Source published: 2026-09-29 · Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Verify with Home Affairs

Current 50% and 90% processing times by visa subclass and stream
Visa	Stream	50% processed	90% processed
Subclass 186	Agreement Pathway	50 Days	12 Months
Subclass 186	Direct Entry Pathway	21 Months	25 Months
Subclass 186	Transition Pathway	21 Months	25 Months
Subclass 189	Points Tested Stream	61 Days	8 Months
Subclass 189	New Zealand Stream (closed) · Closed to new applications	54 Months	61 Months
Subclass 190	State/Territory Nominated	4 Months	16 Months
Subclass 482	Core Skills Stream	4 Months	9 Months
Subclass 482	Specialist Skills Stream	37 Days	78 Days
Subclass 482	Labour Agreement Stream	5 Months	9 Months
Subclass 485	Post-Higher Education Work	5 Days	55 Days
Subclass 485	Post-Vocational Education Work	52 Days	5 Months
Subclass 491	State/Territory Nominated Regional	5 Months	18 Months
Subclass 491	Family Sponsored Regional	4 Months	7 Months
Subclass 494	Employer Sponsored Stream	8 Months	12 Months
Subclass 500	Higher Education Sector	16 Days	4 Months
Subclass 500	Vocational Education and Training Sector	53 Days	7 Months
Subclass 500	Postgraduate Research Sector	17 Days	55 Days
Subclass 500	Independent ELICOS Sector	22 Days	53 Days
Subclass 500	Schools Sector	28 Days	7 Months
Subclass 500	Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector	3 Days	22 Days
Subclass 500	Non-Award Sector	3 Days	43 Days
Subclass 600	Tourist Stream	21 Days	33 Days
Subclass 600	Sponsored Family Stream	40 Days	3 Months
Subclass 600	Business Visitor Stream	7 Days	19 Days
Subclass 820/801	Temporary Partner visa (820)	22 Months	30 Months
Subclass 820/801	Permanent Partner visa (801)	8 Months	19 Months
Subclass 309/100	Provisional Partner visa (309)	21 Months	32 Months
Subclass 309/100	Permanent Partner visa (100)	9 Months	21 Months
Subclass 101	Child visa (101)	24 Months	33 Months
Subclass 300	Prospective Marriage visa (300)	14 Months	26 Months
Subclass 407	Training visa (407)	12 Months	20 Months

Visiting Australia?Subclass 600 Visitor visa processing timeTourist Stream: 50% 21 Days, 90% 33 Days; Sponsored Family Stream: 50% 40 Days, 90% 3 Months; Business Visitor Stream: 50% 7 Days, 90% 19 DaysSee every Subclass 600 stream

Why processing times differ between visas and streams

Home Affairs publishes a separate 50% and 90% processing time for each visa stream, and the gaps can be large. These figures describe different groups of applications, so the number for one visa says little about another. For example, the Subclass 186 Direct Entry stream currently shows 21 Months at 50%, while the Agreement stream shows 50 Days.

Home Affairs does not explain stream by stream why the checkpoints differ. Differences can reflect the type of application, how many were lodged, the checks involved and how applications are prioritised, so treat them as a description of recent decisions, not a promise.

How to read 50% and 90%

The 50% figure is the time within which half of recently decided applications were finalised. The 90% figure is the time within which nine in ten were finalised. Neither is a deadline, and neither shows how far along your own application is.

To compare your own wait, choose your subclass and stream in the calculator above and enter the date you lodged the visa application.

Common questions

What do 50% and 90% processed mean?: Half (50%) or nine in ten (90%) of the recently decided applications in that stream were finalised within that time. They describe past decisions, not the progress of one application.
Why do some streams take months while others take days?: Home Affairs reports each stream separately and the published figures can differ widely. It does not give a reason for each gap, so use the figure for the exact stream in your application.
Is the result a guaranteed grant date?: No. The calculator compares your lodgement date with the published checkpoints. It is a statistical planning window, not a prediction or a guarantee.