Significant Subclass 457 and Temporary Skills Shortage Visa Delays

The situation

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is experiencing significant delays processing Subclass 457 visa cases lodged prior to March 18, 2018, and Temporary Skills Shortage visa applications lodged since March 2018.

A closer look

• Subclass 457 visa applications are taking six to eight months to process, up from the usual one to two months.
• Dependents’ Subclass 457 visa applications are taking six to eight months to process.
• Fragomen has not yet received a Temporary Skills Shortage visa decision for applications lodged since March that were not for an Accredited Sponsor. Applications by Accredited Sponsors are taking two to three weeks, rather than the usual one week.

 

Looking ahead

The DHA is aware that the processing times published on its website are not up to date, and is in the process of collating sufficient data to publish more accurate timeframes in the coming months.

Access the Australia reforms microsite for up-to-date information on the new visa program.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

MARN 0849574