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186 Direct entry visa scheme timeline

263K views 1K replies 137 participants last post by  palina 
Hey guys,

Appreciate if someone can help on my query. I know the official processing time for 186 ENS visa application but I can see my friends getting visa earlier while they lodged application at the same time. My agent Lodged application on 27 Sept 21 and completed my medical on 13 the of Nov 21 but still awaiting any confirmation.
Appreciate if anyone can shed some light onto it
Processing times can vary depending on the quality of the application, and the time it can take to confirm application details.

Subclass 186 visa processing times November 2021.

Subclass 186 – ENS Direct Entry Pathway.
Average processing time 4 months.
  • 25% in under 72 days.
  • 25% between 72 days and 4 months.
  • 25% between 4 and 5 months.
  • 15% between 5 and 8 months.
  • 10% took over 8 months.
Subclass 186 – ENS Agreement Pathway.
Average processing time 8 months.

Subclass 186 – ENS Transition Pathway.
Average processing time 5 months.
 
This was the assumption I made when I first looked at the processing times, however, when you read more closely, you realise these processing times are misleading. I will put in a disclaimer that I have no knowledge of the process - this is just my interpretation of the information available.

Processing times are based on the age of applications finalised in a given period. Processing times are based on the age of visa applications finalised recently.
Source: Global visa processing times

This means the published processing times are not the time frame you can expect to wait for your application to be processed. Instead it's saying that of the applications finalised this month, 25% fall into the 3 month bracket. A further 25% are less than 4 months etc. There is no mention at all about the age of the applications that haven't been processed.

If you cross reference this information with data released under Freedom of Information, it paints a bleak picture.

Source: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/foi/files/2021/fa-211200358-document-released.PDF
Currently, there are only 30 - 40 Offshore Non-PMSOL processed a month for the 186 DE. The average processing times published are applicable to the few that get processed. So that means of the 41 processed in November 21, 10 were less than 3 months, 11 were 3 - 4 months, 10 were 4 - 6 months, 6 were 6-9 months and the remaining 4 were older than 9 months. There is no mention at all about the age of the applications that haven't been processed - and there is a backlog of nearly 600.

There may be an explanation.

As borders reopen, and more people become eligible for travel, many of these applications are now being finalised.
Source: Global visa processing times

At first this seems odd, since you become a PR and therefore you are eligible for travel. However, it might make more sense if you are only activated as a PR once you have gone through migration at the airport. When you arrive at the migration desk, you are not yet PR and therefore not eligible for travel. So the few applications being processed might reflect the small numbers that have been through a process to demonstrate why they are needed in Australia urgently. Perhaps then we can welcome the opening of the borders next week and hope to see more processing than has been done for a year or so.

Like I say, I could be wrong. Take a look and tell me what you think.
Non-PMSOL with a backlog of 595 in November 21, is much worse than those on the PMSOL, where the backlog was only 90 at October 21.

I might guess that the faster times might apply more to those on the PMSOL list.
 
Hi.
what’s are the expected waiting times now? More specifically around the TRT route

tia
Expected times are difficult to anticipate, as times vary based on many individual application reasons, as well as increased numbers of applications, shortages of staff due to Covid-19, etc.

However, you can see how the median times have changed recently.

You mention the TRT route.

Median average processing time for subclass 186 Transition Pathway visa in March 2022 was 9 months.

Median average processing time for subclass 186 Transition Pathway visa in February 2022 was 7 months.

Median average processing time for Subclass 186 Transition Pathway visas, that were finalised in January 2022, was 6 months.

Median average processing time for subclass 186 Transition Pathway visa in December 2021 was 6 months.

Median average processing time for subclass 186 Transition Pathway visa in November 2021 was 5 months.
 
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Thank you for taking time to reply. I was expecting (hoping) it would be quicker. PMSOL and accredited sponsor 😩
It might be faster. The median means that half were faster, some much faster, and half took longer, some much longer.
 
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Hi,

I have the same story as yours

Nomination/Visa Application: 19 th Jan 2022
Medical: 1st Feb 2022
Onshore candidate
Developer Programmer
Application Status: Received


Any updates on processing time these days?
No changes released yet.

Median average processing time for Subclass 186 Direct Entry Pathway visas, that were finalised in March 2022, was 5 months.
  • 25% took under 4 months
  • 25% took between 4 months and 5 months
  • 25% took between 5 months and 7 months
  • 15% took between 7 months and 12 months
  • 10% took over 12 months.
Last Updated 29 April 2022, for visas finalised in March 2022.
 
BVB will take only one day to proces.Also I got it for 1 year with no restrictions and multiple entries to Australia.You need to submit the proof of travel while applying.

All the best for your travel
Most BVBs are done in one day, but there are occasions where they can take a week or two.

The official advice is: We recommend you apply for a BVB no more than 3 months and no less than 2 weeks before you want to travel.

You must provide a reason and attach any supporting documents to explain why you need to depart and return to Australia while your substantive visa is being considered.
 
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I seen they updated the processing times for the 186 DE last night, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any improvements..

I think from reading everyone's posts on here, if your not a the pmsol list, your looking at around the 6ish months mark.

Hopefully with the new Government in place, and the new financial year, things might speed up a bit.

Best of luck, and do give everyone an update when you get some news
They didn't update the processing times, but they did update the page with the increased application fee.
 
Processing times for 186 was updated. You need to click into the 186 visa and scroll to the bottom of the page. Updated 1st of July. Was 20th of May a few days ago.
There is no change to the processing times on that page. They are the same times as those dated 5th May.

The only change is the updated cost from 1 July 2022. Hence the new date at the bottom.
 
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FOIs are not always free. you have to pay to get the information you need.
Who did you pay the $30 too.

I've never heard of a Freedom of information request costing anything.
 
To DHA.


Already published documents are free of charge. But they will charge you if you need a custom dataset for your purposes. Remember, most of the disclosed documents below are requested and paid for by someone (except the ones that are of interest to a substantial section of the public). And the documents you request and pay for are also will be published in disclosure logs within a few weeks.

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/access-and-accountability/freedom-of-information/disclosure-logs/2022
I've had about 20 done, and wasn't aware that some people paid for them.

It makes sense that ones that are paid for will be issued earlier. But I've never even seen an option to pay.
 
Hey Guys, Paid 35 AUD for this. It looks like their June processing speed has tripled compaired to May. This is for Software Engineer (ANZSCO 261313).

View attachment 11538
The "June processing speed" may not have tripled, but the number of grants has. The 223 that were granted in June were probably some of the 353 that were still waiting in December 2021.
 
can someone explain why the total applications onhand for DE stream is different in both the FOI's ?
Looking at those two FOI releases, without seeing the wording of the question, it does seem peculiar.

In June 2022, 1,249 subclass 186 Direct Entry applications were granted, with 5,105 still in the pipeline.

In June 2022, 2,739 subclass 186 Direct Entry applications were granted, with 11,082 still in the pipeline.

A difference of 1,490 grants, and 5,977 in the pipeline, between the two FOI releases.

It seems a lot of the Immigration statistics and timelines might be stuffed up since the Federal Election in May.
 
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That's scary! that means you have to withdraw your 482 application as soon as your 186 is granted.
Immigration only allow one main visa to be active, so they always override an old visa with a new grant.

It is something to be very wary about when applying for 2 or more visas.
 
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The median average processing time for Subclass 186 Direct Entry Pathway visas, that were finalised in July 2022, was 6 Months.
  • 25% took under 4 Months
  • 25% took between 4 Months and 6 Months
  • 25% took between 6 Months and 8 Months
  • 15% took between 8 Months and 13 Months
  • 10% took over 13 Months.
Last Updated 26 August 2022, for visas finalised in July 2022
 
These are just for visa, or nomination processig time is also included in this?
I would assume just the visa.
 
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hmm, you have a valid point. They say we have 6 months to apply for the visa once the nomination is approved. It appears these two are considered two separate things . But then my question is, what is the timeline for nomination processing? In that case, I'd like to believe the given timeline is for both nomination and visa.
The processing time is given as the time between the date the applicant submits the visa application to the date it was finalised.

I feel that you can only submit the visa application, after you receive a nomination.
 
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Does anyone know when next FOI disclosure logs will be posted ?
I think it might depend on how many staff they have available to do these requests.

The seem to have been transferring staff to visa processing recently.

This might slow down the FoI releases.
 
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The Job Summit just finished this afternoon with the consensus of increasing the skilled migration cap and speeding up the processing times. I guess we'll have to give the government a few weeks to put these measures into effect.
A quote from that statement:
"We will invest 36.1 million dollars in visa processing, to surge staff capacity by 500 people for the next nine months,"
Hope they can train them fast enough.
 
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New stats are up:
View attachment 11744

And you know what each column stands for. Just another casual delay of a few months for 50% of total applications. So much for an ambitious plan of giving a '$36m immigration boost' for the processing of visas. Those $36m must have been used to fill up DoHA pantry with new biscuits and donuts so that each staff can have a tea break every half an hour, and clock off at 3:30 for daily diversity celebration meetings catered with fine wine and cheese.

I mean what.the.actual.f*ck.
Don't expect things to happen immediately.
The $36.1 million is to hire 500 surge staff over the next nine months to process Australia’s crippling backlog of active non-humanitarian visa applications, which stood at 571,000 temporary visa applications, almost 150,000 skilled applicants and 232,000 family visas.

Those 500 extra staff members will need training.

The funding was only announced about 3 weeks ago, beginning of September.

The processing times you are referring to were July finalisations.
 
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