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Subclass Report

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Explore your 189, 190 and 491 skilled visa options

Subclass 189 Processing Time

Based on recent visa grants from SmartVisaGuide users and crowdsourced records

Priority

Onshore and offshore priority occupations

25% granted: 2.8 months
50% granted: 3.2 months
75% granted: 3.4 months
90% granted: 4.0 months

Show raw data Premium Visa grants used to calculate this estimate

Onshore Non-Priority

Other occupations

25% granted: 5.4 months
50% granted: 7.3 months
75% granted: 7.9 months
90% granted: 9.7 months

Show raw data Premium Visa grants used to calculate this estimate

Offshore Non-Priority

All offshore non-priority applications

25% granted: 4.3 months
50% granted: 9.1 months
75% granted: 10.6 months
90% granted: 11.7 months

Show raw data Premium Visa grants used to calculate this estimate

About this estimate: Level 1 (priority occupations) and level 2 (onshore non-priority) each use grant samples from their own group.

Levels 3 and 4 (offshore non-priority) use a combined sample set because many past grant profiles do not say whether the person applied alone or with a partner or family. Combining them gives us more data for a stable estimate. Priority levels follow Direction 122.

Direction 122 started on 19 September 2026, so these estimates currently rely on data from before the change. We expect to need 4–6 weeks of data under the new rules, until around the end of October, for estimates to stabilise and reflect the new processing patterns. Treat them as provisional until then.

Processing priority definition under Ministerial Direction 122 →

SkillSelect EOI Backlog for Subclass 189

All occupations, at the end of each month, with the change from the month before

Month end ↓	SUBMITTED	INVITED	LODGED	CLOSED	HOLD
30 Sep 2026	184,235 +3,584	36 −19	6,706 −2,258	212,330 +4,167	5,371 −48
31 Aug 2026	180,651 +2,145	55 −4,545	8,964 −2,084	208,163 +3,151	5,419 −38
31 Jul 2026	178,506 −146	4,600 −1,792	11,048 −889	205,012 +6,147	5,457 +44
30 Jun 2026	178,652 −6,713	6,392 +5,655	11,937 +4,194	198,865 +3,905	5,413 +79
31 May 2026	185,365 +1,707	737 −53	7,743 −1,439	194,960 +5,808	5,334 +159
30 Apr 2026	183,658 +1,859	790 +41	9,182 −1,119	189,152 +4,735	5,175 +118
31 Mar 2026	181,799 +1,225	749 +47	10,301 −1,461	184,417 +5,445	5,057 +157
28 Feb 2026	180,574 +2,142	702 +182	11,762 −783	178,972 −834	4,900 −8
31 Jan 2026	178,432 +4,026	520 −5,164	12,545 −122	179,806 +3,558	4,908 +96
31 Dec 2025	174,406 −401	5,684 −2,349	12,667 +1,232	176,248 +3,032	4,812 +65
30 Nov 2025	174,807 −3,992	8,033 +7,865	11,435 +1,093	173,216 +1,775	4,747 +82
31 Oct 2025	178,799 +5,931	168 −3,385	10,342 +174	171,441 +2,252	4,665 +93
30 Sep 2025	172,868 +2,033	3,553 −2,198	10,168 +1,408	169,189 +3,803	4,572 −106
31 Aug 2025	170,835 −2,519	5,751 +5,635	8,760 −53	165,386 +2,221	4,678 +15
31 Jul 2025	173,354 +3,457	116 −317	8,813 −1,191	163,165 −928	4,663 +321
30 Jun 2025	169,897 +2,289	433 −203	10,004 +59	164,093 +1,989	4,342 +267
31 May 2025	167,608 +2,130	636 +191	9,945 −62	162,104 +3,948	4,075 +189
30 Apr 2025	165,478 +2,151	445 +58	10,007 −940	158,156 +3,723	3,886 +249
31 Mar 2025	163,327 +1,352	387 −34	10,947 −1,667	154,433 +4,577	3,637 +140
28 Feb 2025	161,975 +377	421 −49	12,614 −1,282	149,856 −2,960	3,497 +51
31 Jan 2025	161,598 +4,681	470 −7,779	13,896 −196	152,816 +6,659	3,446 +181
31 Dec 2024	156,917 −2,981	8,249 −2,167	14,092 +1,613	146,157 +6,541	3,265 −97
30 Nov 2024	159,898 −7,732	10,416 +5,453	12,479 +3,673	139,616 +3,743	3,362 +258
31 Oct 2024	167,630 +2,298	4,963 −1,000	8,806 −181	135,873 +2,161	3,104 +1

Users waiting for Visa Grant

Lodgement pattern of SmartVisaGuide users awaiting 189 grant

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Visa Grants

Subclass 189 application dates that have been granted (SmartVisaGuide users + Crowdsourced). This chart has crowdsourced data as well, whereas the top chart only has active SmartVisaGuide users.

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