Student visa 500 & 590 changes
Changes to Student visa application rules. From 2 October 2026, there are new rules for Student visas (subclass 500) and Student Guardian visas (subclass 590).
500 visa processing time, November 2026
Student, Higher Education Sector: 50% decided within 25 days, 90% within 207 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.
500 25 days Higher Education Sector 90% 207 9 d longer500 1 days Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector 90% 25 2 d shorter500 11 days Independent ELICOS Sector 90% 49 11 d shorter500 1 days Non-Award Sector 90% 23 2 d shorter500 25 days Postgraduate Research Sector 90% 66 8 d longer500 24 days Schools Sector 90% 210 4 d shorter500 115 days Vocational Education and Training Sector 90% 216 62 d longerSee all visasall 74 streams
500 visa processing time: 50% decided within 25 days
500 Higher Education Sector processing time: 50% decided within 25 days, 90% within 207 days.
Official figures dated · Checked by us · Official source · 500 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.
50% decided within25days9 days longer than on 29 Sep 2026Lodgement to decision, among applications already decided. Not the time left on yours.
90% decided within207days98 days longer than on 29 Sep 2026Nine in ten decided applications took this long or less.
Now processing, lodged innot publishedno official statementThe Department states a lodgement month for 7 skilled visas only.
Pressure index, 50033/ 100Low, slower share and drift onlyHow the official figures moved. 50 is a flat month.
25%77 days
50%2525 days
75%6161 days
90%2077 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.
Day 440500 Higher Education Sector, since 31 August 2025 (example date, enter yours above)
50%: 25 d90%: 207 d
- If the latest figures held, 50% of applications lodged on that date would be decided by 25 Sep 2025 and 90% by 26 Mar 2026 (both dates are already past). This is arithmetic on the official percentiles, not a predicted decision date.
- The Department does not publish a lodgement month for this visa.
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, "500 visa processing time (Higher Education Sector)", Department of Home Affairs figures dated 2 November 2026, retrieved 14 November 2026, https://visaprocessingtime.com.au/visa/500/higher-education-sector/
500 Processing Pressure Index: 33 out of 100, low, November 2026
33out of 100Low
- Slower share
- 3 of 7 streams
- Drift
- -14.3% median
- Queue lag
- not published
All visas 53 Moderate
In plain words: 3 of 7 streams of the 500 visa got slower at the latest official update, the typical change was -14.3%. 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 share3 of 7 streams have a higher 50% figure than at the previous official update. | 0.43 | 0.35 | 15.0 |
| DriftMedian change in the 50% figure is -14.3%. Minus 25% scores 0, no change scores 0.50, plus 25% scores 1. | 0.21 | 0.30 | 6.4 |
| Queue lagThe Department does not publish a lodgement month for this visa. | not published | 0.35 | 0.0 |
| ReadingTwo components only, so the sum is divided by 0.65. | 33.0 |
500 processing time since 29 Sep 2026, 50% mark
| Stream | Was | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Sector | 16 | 25 | 9 days longer |
| Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector | 3 | 1 | 2 days shorter |
| Independent ELICOS Sector | 22 | 11 | 11 days shorter |
| Non-Award Sector | 3 | 1 | 2 days shorter |
| Postgraduate Research Sector | 17 | 25 | 8 days longer |
| Schools Sector | 28 | 24 | 4 days shorter |
| Vocational Education and Training Sector | 53 | 115 | 62 days longer |
Days. "Was" is each stream's figure before its latest change.
500 processing time then and now, 50% mark
| Stream | First | 1 yr ago | Now | vs 1 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Sector | 34 | 31 | 25 | 6 days shorter |
| Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 days shorter |
| Independent ELICOS Sector | 22 | 21 | 11 | 10 days shorter |
| Non-Award Sector | 1 | 1 | 1 | no change |
| Postgraduate Research Sector | 76 | 99 | 25 | 74 days shorter |
| Schools Sector | 24 | 26 | 24 | 2 days shorter |
| Vocational Education and Training Sector | 219 | 168 | 115 | 53 days shorter |
Days. First figure on record for Higher Education Sector: 9 Jun 2025. Longer means applicants waited longer than a year ago.
Is the 500 visa processing time getting faster or slower? 9 days slower since 29 September 2026, 6 days faster than a year ago
As of November 2026, the Department of Home Affairs reports that 50% of Student (subclass 500) Higher Education Sector applications are decided within 25 days and 90% within 207 days. The 50% processing time was 34 days in June 2025.
90% decided within50% decided within
| Recorded | Higher Education Sector 50% / 90% |
|---|---|
| 25 / 207 | |
| 16 / 109 | |
| 19 / 71 | |
| 15 / 203 | |
| 16 / 214 | |
| 28 / 94 | |
| 33 / 196 | |
| 32 / 175 | |
| 28 / 143 | |
| 21 / 129 | |
| 39 / 163 | |
| 31 / 181 | |
| 33 / 166 | |
| 28 / 154 | |
| 23 / 113 | |
| 29 / 179 | |
| 34 / 219 |
Higher Education Sector in the chart, the same stream in the table, days. 17 changes recorded since 9 June 2025. Figures before November 2026 come from public archives of the official page.
500 pressure index history: latest reading 33
Slower share and drift only, rebuilt from archived figures
The Department publishes no lodgement month for this visa, so the reading uses slower share and drift only, rebuilt back to June 2025.
What did Home Affairs post about the 500 visa? 1 banner, newest 2 October 2026
Banner notices on the Department's visa pages that mention the 500 visa, newest first.
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 500 processing time figures leave out? 4 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 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.
7 questions about the 500 visa processing time, answered from November 2026 figures
How long does a 500 visa take to process in 2026?
In November 2026 the Department of Home Affairs reports a 500 visa processing time of 25 days for 50% of Higher Education Sector applications and 207 days for 90%. Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector is 1 and 25 days. Independent ELICOS Sector is 11 and 49 days. Non-Award Sector is 1 and 23 days.
What is the 500 Higher Education Sector processing time right now?
Half of Higher Education Sector applications are decided within 25 days, a quarter within 7 days and three quarters within 61 days. These are the official processing time figures dated 2 November 2026.
Is the 500 visa processing time getting faster or slower?
The 50% processing time for Higher Education Sector moved from 16 days on 29 September 2026 to 25 days now, 9 days slower. The first figure we have on record is 34 days in June 2025.
Is the 500 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.
How often is the 500 visa processing time updated?
The Department usually refreshes its processing time figures once a month. The latest official date for the 500 visa is 2 November 2026. We check the official page every day and record any change with its date.
Does the 500 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 500 visa?
A 0 to 100 reading calculated from official figures only: how many 500 streams got slower, by how much, and how far behind today the lodgement month being processed is. The 500 reading is 33 (low); across all visas it is 53. The formula is printed on this page.