988 visa processing time, November 2026
Maritime Crew Visa: 50% decided within 1 days, 90% within 2 days. Department of Home Affairs processing time figures.
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.
988 visa processing time: 50% decided within 1 days
988 all applications processing time: 50% decided within 1 days, 90% within 2 days.
Official figures dated · Checked by us · Official source · 988 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.
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 440988 all applications, since 31 August 2025 (example date, enter yours above)
- If the latest figures held, 50% of applications lodged on that date would be decided by 1 Sep 2025 and 90% by 2 Sep 2025 (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, "988 visa processing time (all applications)", Department of Home Affairs figures dated 2 November 2026, retrieved 14 November 2026, https://visaprocessingtime.com.au/visa/988/
988 Processing Pressure Index: 23 out of 100, low, November 2026
- Slower share
- 0 of 1 stream
- Drift
- +0.0% median
- Queue lag
- not published
All visas 53 Moderate
In plain words: 0 of 1 stream of the 988 visa got slower at the latest official update, the typical change was +0.0%. 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 share0 of 1 streams have a higher 50% figure than at the previous official update. | 0.00 | 0.35 | 0.0 |
| DriftMedian change in the 50% figure is +0.0%. Minus 25% scores 0, no change scores 0.50, plus 25% scores 1. | 0.50 | 0.30 | 15.0 |
| 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. | 23.1 |
988 processing time since 29 Sep 2026, 50% mark
| Stream | Was | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime Crew Visa | 1 | 1 | no change |
Days. "Was" is each stream's figure before its latest change.
988 processing time then and now, 50% mark
| Stream | First | 1 yr ago | Now | vs 1 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime Crew Visa | 1 | 1 | 1 | no change |
Days. First figure on record for Maritime Crew Visa: 9 Jun 2025. Longer means applicants waited longer than a year ago.
Is the 988 visa processing time getting faster or slower? The 50% mark has not moved since 29 September 2026
As of November 2026, the Department of Home Affairs reports that 50% of Maritime Crew Visa (subclass 988) applications are decided within 1 days and 90% within 2 days. The 50% processing time was 1 days in June 2025.
| Recorded | Maritime Crew Visa 50% / 90% |
|---|---|
| 1 / 2 | |
| 1 / 3 | |
| 1 / 1 | |
| 1 / 2 | |
| 1 / 1 | |
| 1 / 2 | |
| 1 / 1 | |
| 1 / 2 | |
| 1 / 1 | |
| 1 / 2 | |
| 1 / 1 | |
| 1 / 2 |
Maritime Crew Visa in the chart, the same stream in the table, days. 12 changes recorded since 9 June 2025. Figures before November 2026 come from public archives of the official page.
988 pressure index history: latest reading 23
The Department publishes no lodgement month for this visa, so the reading uses slower share and drift only, rebuilt back to June 2025.
What do the 988 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 988 visa processing time, answered from November 2026 figures
How long does a 988 visa take to process in 2026?
In November 2026 the Department of Home Affairs reports a 988 visa processing time of 1 days for 50% of Maritime Crew Visa applications and 2 days for 90%.
What is the 988 Maritime Crew Visa processing time right now?
Half of Maritime Crew Visa applications are decided within less than 1 day, a quarter within 1 days and three quarters within 1 days. These are the official processing time figures dated 2 November 2026.
Is the 988 visa processing time getting faster or slower?
The 50% processing time for Maritime Crew Visa moved from 1 days on 29 September 2026 to 1 days now. The first figure we have on record is 1 days in June 2025.
Is the 988 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 988 visa processing time updated?
The Department usually refreshes its processing time figures once a month. The latest official date for the 988 visa is 2 November 2026. We check the official page every day and record any change with its date.
Does the 988 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 988 visa?
A 0 to 100 reading calculated from official figures only: how many 988 streams got slower, by how much, and how far behind today the lodgement month being processed is. The 988 reading is 23 (low); across all visas it is 53. The formula is printed on this page.