Subclass 186
We prioritise visa applications for the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa under Ministerial Direction 122.
186 Direct Entry visa processing time, November 2026
Employer Nomination Scheme, Direct Entry: 50% decided within 670 days, 90% within 727 days. Department of Home Affairs processing time figures.
50% decided within means half of the applications decided in the latest reporting period took this many days or fewer, counted from lodgement to decision. The 90% figure works the same way. Applications still waiting are not counted.
Stream codes: DE = Direct Entry, TRT = Transition, AGR = Agreement, PT = Points-Tested, CS = Core Skills, ST = State/Territory, HE = Higher Education, ES = Employer Sponsored.
Where it comes from: the Department of Home Affairs global visa processing times tool. We copy the figures and keep the history.
Dates: latest official update 9 Nov 2026, checked by us 14 Nov 2026. Each visa shows its own official date.
Stream codes: DE = Direct Entry, TRT = Transition, AGR = Agreement, PT = Points-Tested, CS = Core Skills, ST = State/Territory, HE = Higher Education, ES = Employer Sponsored.
Where it comes from: the Department of Home Affairs global visa processing times tool. We copy the figures and keep the history.
Dates: latest official update 9 Nov 2026, checked by us 14 Nov 2026. Each visa shows its own official date.
186 670 days Direct Entry 90% 727 39 d longer186 664 days Transition 90% 722 15 d longer186 44 days Agreement 90% 400 6 d shorter189 90 days Skilled Independent PT 90% 288 29 d longer190 240 days Skilled Nominated 90% 482 108 d longer482 174 days Skills in Demand CS 90% 287 43 d longer491 521 days Skilled Regional ST 90% 920 365 d longerSee all visasall 74 streams
Home Affairs is processing 186 visa applications lodged in March 2025
186 Direct Entry Pathway processing time: 50% decided within 670 days, 90% within 727 days.
Official figures dated · Checked by us · Official source · 186 visa page
Stream codes: DE = Direct Entry, TRT = Transition, AGR = Agreement, PT = Points-Tested, CS = Core Skills, ST = State/Territory, HE = Higher Education, ES = Employer Sponsored.
Where it comes from: the Department of Home Affairs global visa processing times tool. We copy the figures and keep the history.
Dates: latest official update 9 Nov 2026, checked by us 14 Nov 2026. Each visa shows its own official date.
Count from the day the visa application was lodged, not the nomination or invitation. Processing group: under Ministerial Direction 122 the Department states a lodgement month for each group: priority sectors (construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence), and groups based on where the main applicant was when they lodged.
50% decided within670days39 days longer than on 29 Sep 2026Lodgement to decision, among applications already decided. Not the time left on yours.
90% decided within727days30 days shorter than on 29 Sep 2026Nine in ten decided applications took this long or less.
Now processing, lodged inMar 202520 months before todayOfficial statement, lodged in Australia. First recorded 14 Nov 2026, no change since.
Pressure index, 18670/ 100Elevated, full readings from 14 Nov 2026How the official figures moved. 50 is a flat month.
25%47816 months
50%67022 months
75%69723 months
90%72724 months
Days from lodgement to decision, among applications already decided. 25% means a quarter of them took this many days or fewer. Black marker: your day count.
Priority sectorsNov 25
In AustraliaHome Affairs is hereMar 25
Outside, aloneNov 24
Outside, othersJul 24
May 2024today
Filled bar: lodgement months the Department says it has reached. Vertical line: your lodgement month.
Day 440186 Direct Entry Pathway, since 31 August 2025 (example date, enter yours above)
50%: 670 d90%: 727 d
- If the latest figures held, 50% of applications lodged on that date would be decided by 2 Jul 2027 and 90% by 28 Aug 2027. This is arithmetic on the official percentiles, not a predicted decision date.
- For applications lodged in Australia, the Department says it is processing applications lodged in March 2025. Your lodgement month is 5 months later, so it has not been reached yet.
What this can't tell you
- When your own application will be decided. Nobody outside the Department can see individual cases.
- Whether anything is wrong with an application that has passed a percentile.
- How occupation, nationality or requests for more documents change the wait. The official figures are not split that way.
Cite this page: Visa Processing Time, "186 visa processing time (Direct Entry)", Department of Home Affairs figures dated 2 November 2026, retrieved 14 November 2026, https://visaprocessingtime.com.au/visa/186/direct-entry/
186 Processing Pressure Index: 70 out of 100, elevated, November 2026
70out of 100Elevated
- Slower share
- 2 of 3 streams
- Drift
- +2.3% median
- Queue lag
- 21.0 months
All visas 53 Moderate
In plain words: 2 of 3 streams of the 186 visa got slower at the latest official update, the typical change was +2.3% and the lodgement months being processed trail today by 21 months on average. A reading above 50 means the published figures moved towards longer waits; below 50, towards shorter ones.
Calculated from official processing time figures only. It describes how published figures moved, not a prediction, and it is not advice. How the index is built.
Show the formula and today's working
PPI = 100 × (0.35 × slower share + 0.30 × drift + 0.35 × queue lag)
- Slower share: streams whose 50% figure rose since the previous official update, divided by all streams with a figure.
- Drift: median percentage change in the 50% figure, clipped to plus or minus 25% and mapped to 0 to 1.
- Queue lag: average number of months between today and the lodgement month the Department says it is processing, divided by 24 and capped at 1.
Every input is a figure the Department of Home Affairs publishes. Bands: 0 to 39 Low, 40 to 59 Moderate, 60 to 79 Elevated, 80 to 100 High. The index describes how the published figures moved. It says nothing about any single application and it is not advice.
| Component | Score 0 to 1 | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slower share2 of 3 streams have a higher 50% figure than at the previous official update. | 0.67 | 0.35 | 23.3 |
| DriftMedian change in the 50% figure is +2.3%. Minus 25% scores 0, no change scores 0.50, plus 25% scores 1. | 0.55 | 0.30 | 16.4 |
| Queue lagPublished lodgement months are 21.0 months behind today on average. Scale tops out at 24 months. | 0.88 | 0.35 | 30.6 |
| Reading | 70.3 |
186 lodgement months being processed (MD 122)
Priority sectorsNov 202512 months before today
Lodged in AustraliaMar 202520 months before today
Lodged outside Australia, applying aloneNov 202424 months before today
Lodged outside Australia, all othersJul 202428 months before today
Stated on the official 186 page, last changed . Archived daily from .
186 processing time since 29 Sep 2026, 50% mark
| Stream | Was | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Entry | 631 | 670 | 39 days longer |
| Transition | 649 | 664 | 15 days longer |
| Agreement | 50 | 44 | 6 days shorter |
Days. "Was" is each stream's figure before its latest change.
186 processing time then and now, 50% mark
| Stream | First | 1 yr ago | Now | vs 1 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Entry | 158 | 400 | 670 | 270 days longer |
| Transition | 401 | 413 | 664 | 251 days longer |
| Agreement | 81 | 110 | 44 | 66 days shorter |
Days. First figure on record for Direct Entry: 9 Jun 2025. Longer means applicants waited longer than a year ago.
Which lodgement months is Home Affairs processing for the 186 visa? March 2025 in Australia, July 2024 at the back
The Department prioritises 186 applications under Ministerial Direction 122 (MD 122), a direction from the Minister on processing order. It works through them in 4 groups and states, for each group, the month of lodgement it is processing (official wording: lodged in that month). This statement sits alongside the 186 processing time percentiles and is published separately.
| Visa | Priority sectors | In Australia | Outside, alone | Outside, others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 186 visaMD 122 | Nov 202512 mo behind | Mar 202520 mo behind | Nov 202424 mo behind | Jul 202428 mo behind |
| 189 visaMD 122 | Oct 20261 mo behind | Jun 20265 mo behind | Dec 202511 mo behind | Dec 202511 mo behind |
| 190 visaMD 122 | Oct 20261 mo behind | Apr 20267 mo behind | Feb 202521 mo behind | Feb 202521 mo behind |
| 191 visaMD 122 | not listed | Mar 20268 mo behind | Mar 20268 mo behind | Jan 202610 mo behind |
| 482 visaMD 121 | Jun 20265 mo behind | Jan 202610 mo behind | Oct 202513 mo behind | Oct 202513 mo behind |
| 491 visaMD 122 | Jun 202517 mo behind | Mar 202520 mo behind | Feb 202521 mo behind | Feb 202521 mo behind |
| 494 visaMD 122 | Dec 202511 mo behind | Sep 202514 mo behind | Sep 202514 mo behind | Oct 202513 mo behind |
186 lodgement month being processed, by group
Recording started 14 Nov 2026. One month on record so far. Dashed boxes are months with no reading yet; each new official statement adds a step.
| 186 group | Processing, lodged in | Recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Priority sectors | Nov 2025 | |
| Lodged in Australia | Mar 2025 | |
| Lodged outside Australia, applying alone | Nov 2024 | |
| Lodged outside Australia, all others | Jul 2024 |
Is the 186 Direct Entry visa processing time getting faster or slower? 39 days slower since 29 September 2026, 270 days slower than a year ago
As of November 2026, the Department of Home Affairs reports that 50% of Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) Direct Entry applications are decided within 670 days and 90% within 727 days. The 50% processing time was 158 days in June 2025.
90% decided within50% decided within
| Recorded | Direct Entry 50% / 90% | Transition 50% / 90% | Agreement 50% / 90% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 670 / 727 | 664 / 722 | 44 / 400 | |
| 631 / 757 | 649 / 757 | 50 / 376 | |
| 381 / 633 | 421 / 673 | 58 / 364 | |
| 301 / 437 | 338 / 469 | 247 / 311 | |
| 273 / 371 | 275 / 413 | 252 / 325 | |
| 297 / 610 | 291 / 411 | 267 / 309 | |
| 289 / 471 | 302 / 445 | 241 / 281 | |
| 348 / 632 | 350 / 600 | 47 / 268 | |
| 424 / 628 | 405 / 618 | 58 / 355 | |
| 528 / 602 | 405 / 618 | 58 / 355 | |
| 528 / 602 | 404 / 588 | 33 / 278 | |
| 247 / 573 | 369 / 580 | 154 / 251 | |
| 400 / 563 | 413 / 566 | 110 / 258 | |
| 378 / 564 | 403 / 563 | 152 / 262 | |
| 363 / 539 | 433 / 539 | 152 / 287 | |
| 374 / 540 | 424 / 524 | 118 / 250 | |
| 172 / 529 | 413 / 527 | 129 / 211 | |
| 158 / 526 | 401 / 516 | 81 / 181 |
Direct Entry in the chart, all 3 streams in the table, days. 17 changes recorded since 9 June 2025. Figures before November 2026 come from public archives of the official page.
186 pressure index history: latest reading 70
Slower share and drift only, rebuilt from archived figures
The full index needs the lodgement month statements, which we began archiving on 14 November 2026. The dotted line uses the two components that can be rebuilt back to June 2025; it is not the same scale as the full reading.
What did Home Affairs post about the 186 visa? 2 banners, newest 2 November 2026
Banner notices on the Department's visa pages that mention the 186 visa, newest first.
Skilled visa income thresholds
Skilled visa income thresholds are increasing in line with changes to annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings.
Source: banners on official Department of Home Affairs visa pages, archived daily since 14 November 2026. 69 banners on file, read 14 November 2026. Titles and first sentences are the Department's own wording. No interpretation added.
What do the 186 processing time figures leave out? 5 things
- They count decided applications only. Cases still waiting are not in the percentiles.
- The figures describe the recent past. They are not a forecast.
- The employer nomination is a separate application with its own processing time.
- The percentiles are not published by occupation, by state, or by whether the applicant was in Australia.
- Only streams the Department lists in its global processing times tool have a figure here.
9 questions about the 186 Direct Entry visa processing time, answered from November 2026 figures
How long does a 186 visa take to process in 2026?
In November 2026 the Department of Home Affairs reports a 186 visa processing time of 670 days for 50% of Direct Entry applications and 727 days for 90%. Transition is 664 and 722 days. Agreement is 44 and 400 days.
What is the 186 Direct Entry processing time right now?
Half of Direct Entry applications are decided within 22 months (670 days), a quarter within 478 days and three quarters within 697 days. These are the official processing time figures dated 2 November 2026.
Is the 186 visa processing time getting faster or slower?
The 50% processing time for Direct Entry moved from 631 days on 29 September 2026 to 670 days now, 39 days slower. The first figure we have on record is 158 days in June 2025.
Is the 186 processing time counted from the day of lodgement?
Yes. The published processing time runs from the day the visa application was lodged to the day it was decided, and it covers decided applications only.
Which lodgement month is Home Affairs processing for the 186 visa?
The official 186 page lists 4 groups under Ministerial Direction 122: priority sectors, November 2025; applications lodged in Australia, March 2025; applications lodged outside Australia, applying alone, November 2024; applications lodged outside Australia, all others, July 2024. We read this on 14 November 2026.
Is 186 processing time different for onshore and offshore applicants?
The percentile figures are not split by location. The lodgement month the Department says it is processing is split: March 2025 for applications lodged in Australia, July 2024 for the group furthest back.
How often is the 186 visa processing time updated?
The Department usually refreshes its processing time figures once a month. The latest official date for the 186 visa is 2 November 2026. We check the official page every day and record any change with its date.
Does the 186 processing time tell me when my visa will be decided?
No. A processing time describes applications that were already decided. It is not a prediction for any single application and this site does not give migration advice.
What is the Processing Pressure Index for the 186 visa?
A 0 to 100 reading calculated from official figures only: how many 186 streams got slower, by how much, and how far behind today the lodgement month being processed is. The 186 reading is 70 (elevated); across all visas it is 53. The formula is printed on this page.