Visa processing times update, 24 March 2026: 36 streams slower, 28 faster at the 90% mark
Compared with the 6 March 2026 update, at the 90% mark 36 of 71 streams got slower, 28 got faster and 7 did not change. At the 50% mark 26 got slower, 35 faster and 10 did not change. The largest move was 408 Religious Work, 335 to 600 days at the 90% mark (265 days longer).
- Official update
- Seen in daily copies of the official tool, so the date is right to within a day.
- Compared with
- 6 Mar 2026Previous update, 18 days earlier
- Streams in this report
- 71Streams the Department lists today that had a figure on this date
- Report
- 9 of 16Generated from the figures, no hand editing
| Mark | Slower | Faster | No change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% decided within | 36 | 28 | 7 |
| 50% decided within | 26 | 35 | 10 |
A stream counts as slower when the number of days rose, faster when it fell. Days run from lodgement to decision for applications the Department decided in its most recent period. For the 801 and 100 partner visas the Department counts from the date of eligibility, two years after the combined application was lodged. They describe the past and are not a prediction for any application.
Which visa processing times moved most? 408 Religious Work, 265 days longer at the 90% mark
The 10 streams whose 90% figure changed most in this update, by number of days either way, with the 50% figure beside it.
| Visa stream | 90% decided within, days | 50% decided within, days |
|---|---|---|
| 408 Religious Work | 600 was 335 265 days longer | 131 was 104 27 days longer |
| 190 Skilled - Nominated | 459 was 714 255 days shorter | 291 was 394 103 days shorter |
| 300 Prospective Marriage | 951 was 716 235 days longer | 409 was 342 67 days longer |
| 408 Research Activities | 199 was 411 212 days shorter | 18 was 32 14 days shorter |
| 802 Child | 892 was 700 192 days longer | 682 was 589 93 days longer |
| 887 Skilled - Regional | 651 was 533 118 days longer | 174 was 224 50 days shorter |
| 407 Training | 434 was 320 114 days longer | 231 was 88 143 days longer |
| 491 Family Sponsored Regional | 911 was 1,020 109 days shorter | 78 was 773 695 days shorter |
| 870 Visa Application | 374 was 265 109 days longer | 220 was 190 30 days longer |
| 186 Agreement | 268 was 355 87 days shorter | 47 was 58 11 days shorter |
Which lodgement months was Home Affairs processing? No statement under the current directions yet
Statements of the lodgement month each priority group has reached under Ministerial Directions 121 and 122, which set today's groups, start on 19 September 2026. Earlier banners followed other directions with different groups, so they are not compared here. Why.
Compared with a year earlier: not on record
Our records start on 9 June 2025, less than a year before this update, so there is no figure from a year earlier to compare with.
New official banners: none on file dated after the 6 Mar 2026 update and up to 24 Mar 2026
Banner notices the Department posts on its visa pages, by the date it gives them. Our banner archive is daily from 14 November 2026; lodgement month banners before that come from Wayback Machine copies from 19 September 2026. Other banners from these dates are listed only if they were still on the Department's pages when our archive began.
Every stream in the 24 Mar 2026 update: 71 processing times, before and after
Days within which 50% and 90% of applications were decided, the figure in use the day before this update, and the 90% figure a year earlier where we have one. Each row opens that stream's page with its full history.
Show all 71 streams
| Visa stream | 90%, days | 50%, days |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Partner | 587 was 606 19 days shorter | 312 was 314 2 days shorter |
| 101 Child | 915 was 838 77 days longer | 707 was 606 101 days longer |
| 102 Adoption | 361 was 326 35 days longer | 127 was 129 2 days shorter |
| 117 Orphan Relative | 2,920 was 2,946 26 days shorter | 2,303 was 2,436 133 days shorter |
| 132 Significant Business History | 2,105 was 2,101 4 days longer | 2,018 was 2,007 11 days longer |
| 155 Five Year Resident Return | 30 was 29 1 day longer | 1 was 1 no change |
| 157 Three Month Resident Return | 68 was 68 no change | 34 was 32 2 days longer |
| 186 Direct Entry | 632 was 628 4 days longer | 348 was 424 76 days shorter |
| 186 Transition | 600 was 618 18 days shorter | 350 was 405 55 days shorter |
| 186 Agreement | 268 was 355 87 days shorter | 47 was 58 11 days shorter |
| 188 Business Innovation Extension | 212 was 197 15 days longer | 134 was 125 9 days longer |
| 189 Points-Tested | 169 was 156 13 days longer | 131 was 131 no change |
| 189 New Zealand | 1,828 was 1,818 10 days longer | 1,556 was 1,519 37 days longer |
| 190 Skilled - Nominated | 459 was 714 255 days shorter | 291 was 394 103 days shorter |
| 191 Regional Provisional stream | 465 was 500 35 days shorter | 233 was 241 8 days shorter |
| 300 Prospective Marriage | 951 was 716 235 days longer | 409 was 342 67 days longer |
| 309 Partner (Provisional) | 760 was 734 26 days longer | 501 was 480 21 days longer |
| 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) | 28 was 25 3 days longer | 8 was 11 3 days shorter |
| 403 Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) | 82 was 82 no change | 55 was 55 no change |
| 403 Foreign Government Agency | 107 was 143 36 days shorter | 67 was 130 63 days shorter |
| 403 Government Agreement | 66 was 65 1 day longer | 13 was 10 3 days longer |
| 403 Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) | 122 was 122 no change | 86 was 86 no change |
| 403 Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme | 22 was 34 12 days shorter | 12 was 19 7 days shorter |
| 407 Training | 434 was 320 114 days longer | 231 was 88 143 days longer |
| 408 Entertainment Activities | 22 was 25 3 days shorter | 13 was 13 no change |
| 408 Exchange Arrangements | 162 was 226 64 days shorter | 28 was 36 8 days shorter |
| 408 Invited for Other Social and Cultural Activity | 14 was 16 2 days shorter | 3 was 4 1 day shorter |
| 408 Religious Work | 600 was 335 265 days longer | 131 was 104 27 days longer |
| 408 Research Activities | 199 was 411 212 days shorter | 18 was 32 14 days shorter |
| 408 Special Programs | 50 was 85 35 days shorter | 43 was 31 12 days longer |
| 408 Sporting Activities | 39 was 81 42 days shorter | 15 was 20 5 days shorter |
| 408 Superyacht Crew | 31 was 31 no change | 14 was 12 2 days longer |
| 417 Working Holiday | 83 was 68 15 days longer | 1 was 1 no change |
| 445 Dependent Child | 849 was 835 14 days longer | 712 was 710 2 days longer |
| 461 New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) | 138 was 159 21 days shorter | 78 was 89 11 days shorter |
| 462 Work and Holiday | 128 was 92 36 days longer | 46 was 52 6 days shorter |
| 482 Core Skills | 230 was 228 2 days longer | 90 was 119 29 days shorter |
| 482 Labour Agreement | 211 was 195 16 days longer | 94 was 113 19 days shorter |
| 482 Nomination | 230 was 215 15 days longer | 81 was 105 24 days shorter |
| 482 Specialist Skills | 68 was 63 5 days longer | 8 was 19 11 days shorter |
| 482 Sponsorship | 129 was 139 10 days shorter | 60 was 89 29 days shorter |
| 485 Post-Higher Education Work | 52 was 56 4 days shorter | 6 was 6 no change |
| 491 State/Territory Government Nominated Regional | 844 was 863 19 days shorter | 374 was 612 238 days shorter |
| 491 Family Sponsored Regional | 911 was 1,020 109 days shorter | 78 was 773 695 days shorter |
| 494 Employer Sponsored | 325 was 337 12 days shorter | 205 was 225 20 days shorter |
| 494 Labour Agreement | 276 was 303 27 days shorter | 213 was 204 9 days longer |
| 500 Higher Education Sector | 175 was 143 32 days longer | 32 was 28 4 days longer |
| 500 Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector | 14 was 32 18 days shorter | 3 was 9 6 days shorter |
| 500 Independent ELICOS Sector | 61 was 112 51 days shorter | 11 was 22 11 days shorter |
| 500 Non-Award Sector | 50 was 32 18 days longer | 17 was 4 13 days longer |
| 500 Postgraduate Research Sector | 182 was 144 38 days longer | 21 was 23 2 days shorter |
| 500 Schools Sector | 84 was 75 9 days longer | 35 was 38 3 days shorter |
| 500 Vocational Education and Training Sector | 185 was 181 4 days longer | 104 was 88 16 days longer |
| 590 Student Guardian | 176 was 176 no change | 49 was 45 4 days longer |
| 600 Tourist | 35 was 33 2 days longer | 13 was 10 3 days longer |
| 600 Business Visitor | 19 was 23 4 days shorter | 5 was 6 1 day shorter |
| 600 Sponsored Family | 103 was 108 5 days shorter | 56 was 50 6 days longer |
| 601 Electronic Travel Authority | 1 was 1 no change | 1 was 1 no change |
| 602 Medical Treatment | 46 was 82 36 days shorter | 3 was 30 27 days shorter |
| 651 eVisitor | 1 was 1 no change | 1 was 1 no change |
| 771 Transit | 17 was 54 37 days shorter | 3 was 7 4 days shorter |
| 801 Partner | 516 was 483 33 days longer | 233 was 241 8 days shorter |
| 802 Child | 892 was 700 192 days longer | 682 was 589 93 days longer |
| 820 Partner | 971 was 935 36 days longer | 534 was 536 2 days shorter |
| 870 Visa Application | 374 was 265 109 days longer | 220 was 190 30 days longer |
| 870 Sponsorship | 154 was 133 21 days longer | 127 was 123 4 days longer |
| 887 Skilled - Regional | 651 was 533 118 days longer | 174 was 224 50 days shorter |
| 888 Business Innovation | 196 was 195 1 day longer | 176 was 160 16 days longer |
| 888 Investor | 153 was 147 6 days longer | 126 was 104 22 days longer |
| 888 Significant Investor | 198 was 174 24 days longer | 104 was 99 5 days longer |
| 988 Maritime Crew Visa | 1 was 2 1 day shorter | 1 was 1 no change |
"Was" is the figure in use the day before this update.
Other visa processing times reports: 16 official updates since June 2025
One report for each time the Department updated its global visa processing times. How these reports are made.