PEV visa pages
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Visa processing times update, 25 May 2026: 39 streams slower, 26 faster at the 90% mark
Compared with the 20 April 2026 update, at the 90% mark 39 of 71 streams got slower, 26 got faster and 6 did not change. At the 50% mark 33 got slower, 30 faster and 8 did not change. The largest move was 491 Family Sponsored Regional, 877 to 191 days at the 90% mark (686 days shorter).
- Official update
- Seen in daily copies of the official tool, so the date is right to within a day.
- Compared with
- 20 Apr 2026Previous update, 35 days earlier
- Streams in this report
- 71Streams the Department lists today that had a figure on this date
- Report
- 11 of 16Generated from the figures, no hand editing
| Mark | Slower | Faster | No change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% decided within | 39 | 26 | 6 |
| 50% decided within | 33 | 30 | 8 |
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? 491 Family Sponsored Regional, 686 days shorter 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 491 Family Sponsored Regional | 191 was 877 686 days shorter | 102 was 87 15 days longer |
| 186 Direct Entry | 610 was 471 139 days longer | 297 was 289 8 days longer |
| 408 Religious Work | 160 was 279 119 days shorter | 42 was 83 41 days shorter |
| 500 Higher Education Sector | 94 was 196 102 days shorter | 28 was 33 5 days shorter |
| 408 Exchange Arrangements | 228 was 148 80 days longer | 25 was 28 3 days shorter |
| 300 Prospective Marriage | 811 was 750 61 days longer | 426 was 446 20 days shorter |
| 491 State/Territory Government Nominated Regional | 721 was 778 57 days shorter | 488 was 479 9 days longer |
| 494 Labour Agreement | 322 was 270 52 days longer | 202 was 233 31 days shorter |
| 500 Vocational Education and Training Sector | 251 was 203 48 days longer | 50 was 120 70 days shorter |
| 590 Student Guardian | 181 was 135 46 days longer | 29 was 33 4 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: 3 dated after the 20 Apr 2026 update and up to 25 May 2026
Banner notices the Department posted on its visa pages, newest first, by the date it gives them. Titles and first sentences are the Department's own wording. 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 25 May 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 | 516 was 536 20 days shorter | 309 was 319 10 days shorter |
| 101 Child | 926 was 960 34 days shorter | 687 was 721 34 days shorter |
| 102 Adoption | 441 was 418 23 days longer | 142 was 151 9 days shorter |
| 117 Orphan Relative | 2,957 was 2,930 27 days longer | 2,453 was 2,309 144 days longer |
| 132 Significant Business History | 2,121 was 2,114 7 days longer | 2,032 was 2,019 13 days longer |
| 155 Five Year Resident Return | 7 was 18 11 days shorter | 1 was 1 no change |
| 157 Three Month Resident Return | 68 was 68 no change | 30 was 32 2 days shorter |
| 186 Direct Entry | 610 was 471 139 days longer | 297 was 289 8 days longer |
| 186 Transition | 411 was 445 34 days shorter | 291 was 302 11 days shorter |
| 186 Agreement | 309 was 281 28 days longer | 267 was 241 26 days longer |
| 188 Business Innovation Extension | 226 was 217 9 days longer | 149 was 142 7 days longer |
| 189 Points-Tested | 216 was 191 25 days longer | 179 was 171 8 days longer |
| 189 New Zealand | 1,848 was 1,825 23 days longer | 1,596 was 1,565 31 days longer |
| 190 Skilled - Nominated | 508 was 485 23 days longer | 418 was 441 23 days shorter |
| 191 Regional Provisional stream | 264 was 238 26 days longer | 253 was 225 28 days longer |
| 300 Prospective Marriage | 811 was 750 61 days longer | 426 was 446 20 days shorter |
| 309 Partner (Provisional) | 777 was 756 21 days longer | 451 was 441 10 days longer |
| 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) | 23 was 20 3 days longer | 7 was 6 1 day longer |
| 403 Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) | 82 was 81 1 day longer | 57 was 55 2 days longer |
| 403 Foreign Government Agency | 14 was 19 5 days shorter | 5 was 8 3 days shorter |
| 403 Government Agreement | 37 was 20 17 days longer | 11 was 9 2 days longer |
| 403 Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES) | 125 was 123 2 days longer | 96 was 91 5 days longer |
| 403 Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme | 21 was 21 no change | 10 was 11 1 day shorter |
| 407 Training | 430 was 418 12 days longer | 126 was 158 32 days shorter |
| 408 Entertainment Activities | 25 was 24 1 day longer | 7 was 8 1 day shorter |
| 408 Exchange Arrangements | 228 was 148 80 days longer | 25 was 28 3 days shorter |
| 408 Invited for Other Social and Cultural Activity | 29 was 33 4 days shorter | 9 was 6 3 days longer |
| 408 Religious Work | 160 was 279 119 days shorter | 42 was 83 41 days shorter |
| 408 Research Activities | 458 was 444 14 days longer | 15 was 15 no change |
| 408 Special Programs | 77 was 107 30 days shorter | 21 was 49 28 days shorter |
| 408 Sporting Activities | 59 was 82 23 days shorter | 12 was 13 1 day shorter |
| 408 Superyacht Crew | 31 was 31 no change | 13 was 12 1 day longer |
| 417 Working Holiday | 65 was 72 7 days shorter | 1 was 1 no change |
| 445 Dependent Child | 884 was 863 21 days longer | 731 was 727 4 days longer |
| 461 New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (Temporary) | 134 was 132 2 days longer | 77 was 89 12 days shorter |
| 462 Work and Holiday | 86 was 120 34 days shorter | 34 was 45 11 days shorter |
| 482 Core Skills | 269 was 248 21 days longer | 63 was 69 6 days shorter |
| 482 Labour Agreement | 224 was 247 23 days shorter | 174 was 100 74 days longer |
| 482 Nomination | 260 was 218 42 days longer | 29 was 6 23 days longer |
| 482 Specialist Skills | 55 was 51 4 days longer | 15 was 7 8 days longer |
| 482 Sponsorship | 134 was 108 26 days longer | 5 was 23 18 days shorter |
| 485 Post-Higher Education Work | 68 was 34 34 days longer | 30 was 9 21 days longer |
| 491 State/Territory Government Nominated Regional | 721 was 778 57 days shorter | 488 was 479 9 days longer |
| 491 Family Sponsored Regional | 191 was 877 686 days shorter | 102 was 87 15 days longer |
| 494 Employer Sponsored | 296 was 335 39 days shorter | 213 was 252 39 days shorter |
| 494 Labour Agreement | 322 was 270 52 days longer | 202 was 233 31 days shorter |
| 500 Higher Education Sector | 94 was 196 102 days shorter | 28 was 33 5 days shorter |
| 500 Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector | 15 was 17 2 days shorter | 3 was 4 1 day shorter |
| 500 Independent ELICOS Sector | 50 was 42 8 days longer | 19 was 16 3 days longer |
| 500 Non-Award Sector | 10 was 37 27 days shorter | 1 was 1 no change |
| 500 Postgraduate Research Sector | 83 was 66 17 days longer | 31 was 25 6 days longer |
| 500 Schools Sector | 77 was 92 15 days shorter | 28 was 27 1 day longer |
| 500 Vocational Education and Training Sector | 251 was 203 48 days longer | 50 was 120 70 days shorter |
| 590 Student Guardian | 181 was 135 46 days longer | 29 was 33 4 days shorter |
| 600 Tourist | 31 was 29 2 days longer | 18 was 13 5 days longer |
| 600 Business Visitor | 23 was 23 no change | 6 was 6 no change |
| 600 Sponsored Family | 78 was 79 1 day shorter | 40 was 38 2 days longer |
| 601 Electronic Travel Authority | 1 was 1 no change | 1 was 1 no change |
| 602 Medical Treatment | 102 was 115 13 days shorter | 18 was 2 16 days longer |
| 651 eVisitor | 1 was 1 no change | 1 was 1 no change |
| 771 Transit | 19 was 21 2 days shorter | 3 was 5 2 days shorter |
| 801 Partner | 479 was 524 45 days shorter | 164 was 208 44 days shorter |
| 802 Child | 876 was 878 2 days shorter | 613 was 628 15 days shorter |
| 820 Partner | 738 was 740 2 days shorter | 566 was 525 41 days longer |
| 870 Visa Application | 290 was 277 13 days longer | 234 was 221 13 days longer |
| 870 Sponsorship | 134 was 144 10 days shorter | 106 was 125 19 days shorter |
| 887 Skilled - Regional | 540 was 539 1 day longer | 202 was 208 6 days shorter |
| 888 Business Innovation | 263 was 218 45 days longer | 213 was 195 18 days longer |
| 888 Investor | 154 was 150 4 days longer | 115 was 111 4 days longer |
| 888 Significant Investor | 216 was 203 13 days longer | 115 was 109 6 days longer |
| 988 Maritime Crew Visa | 2 was 1 1 day longer | 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.