Australia PR Processing Time: How Long Does It Take?

Australia permanent residency processing time varies significantly by visa subclass, the completeness of your application, and how many people are in the immigration queue ahead of you. Below are the current median and 90th percentile processing times.

Current Processing Times by Subclass

Processing times are updated monthly on the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) website. Check the official DHA processing times page before applying.

What Affects Processing Time?

Application Completeness

The single biggest factor. Missing documents, unclear employment evidence, or discrepancies between your skills assessment and employment history can stall processing for months. Review the Australia PR documents checklist before lodging.

Health and Character Checks

Health examinations via eMedical are typically completed within 1–2 weeks, but referrals for complex conditions can take 2–6 months. Police clearance certificates must be requested early — processing times vary by country (Indian police clearance: 2–4 weeks from local police; AFP National Police Check: 1–2 weeks).

Occupation and Invitation Points

High-demand occupations with many applicants in the system take longer. Use the Australia PR points calculator to understand where you stand in the queue.

State Nomination Stream

Subclass 190 processing depends on both the state and the DHA. States vary in how quickly they process nominations — SA and TAS tend to be faster; NSW and VIC have longer queues.

How to Speed Up Processing

• Submit a complete, well-documented application at the time of lodgement
• Complete health exams and police checks as soon as DHA requests them
• Respond to any DHA information requests within 28 days
• Ensure all employment reference letters are on letterhead, signed, and match your skills assessment exactly

Skills Assessment and EOI Timing

The skills assessment alone takes 4–16 weeks before you can even lodge your EOI. Factor this into your total timeline. For most applicants, the total time from starting the skills assessment to receiving the PR visa is 18–30 months.

After Visa Grant

The visa is initially granted with a travel facility valid for 5 years from the grant date. After 2 years of living in Australia, you can apply for Australian citizenship. The Australia PR application process guide covers all steps from EOI to visa grant.