Australia has successfully reduced the waiting period for several of its popular visas to just a matter of days. This improvement applies to visas such as student visas and temporary skilled visas.
In a recent statement, the Australian Department of Home Affairs revealed that they have undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s visa systems and procedures. This overhaul has led to significant reductions in the average processing times for various visa categories.
At the beginning of this year, the processing time for Student Visas was as long as 49 days. However, the recent changes have resulted in a much faster processing time for these visas.
Additionally, certain visa programs have witnessed even more remarkable improvements. The Employer Sponsored Skilled program, as well as healthcare and education-related visas, are now being processed within a single day. This is also applicable to Working Holiday visas for individuals outside of Australia.
This recent announcement follows a year during which the Department faced significant challenges due to delays in processing visa applications. These delays were largely attributed to the sheer volume of applications received.
The Department of Home Affairs further highlighted that permanent skilled visas are now being cleared within a seven-month timeframe. This marks a substantial enhancement compared to the 12-month processing period reported in February 2023.
