Is your team waiting on a 482 Visa outcome from the Department of Home Affairs? As a result of the 482 Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) Visa transition to the Skills in Demand (SID) Visa in December 2024, processing for both programs are delayed as the Government attempts to clear a backlog of TSS Visa cases while striving to meet commitments for rapid visa processing under the SID Visa.

Written by Sheila Woods (MARN: 0533879) of Interstaff  3 June 2025

The Australian newspaper has highlighted concerns by the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) and the Australian Industry Group (AIG) regarding the impact that delays in 482 Visa processing are having on businesses struggling with skills shortages.

With both the TSS and SID 482 Visa programs experiencing processing delays, read on to understand:

• What are the current standard processing times for TSS and SID 482 Visas? How does this compare to the Government’s service standards?
• Why are some TSS Visa applicants still waiting for a visa decision despite applying before 7 December 2024?
• How is the Government planning to reduce processing times for TSS and SID 482 Visas?
• Will the Government escalate requests to fast-track applications that are within the extended standard processing times?

Skills in Demand (SID) 482 Visa Processing Times

Government processing times for both the Core and Specialist streams of the Skills in Demand 482 Visa have been increasing.

As you can see, current standard processing times for SID 482 Visas indicate that:

• 90% of applications are processed within 3 months for the Core Skills Stream
• 90% of applications are processed within 67 days for the Specialist Skills Stream

This is a significant increase from the Government’s original service standards of a 7 day median for the Specialist Skills Stream and 21 day median for the Core Skills Stream.

The Government initially upheld its commitment to rapid processing as a key feature of the new SID Visa during the first few months after its launch. As part of this ongoing commitment, we expect processing times will re-stabilise after backlogs from the implementation of the new visa are cleared.

Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) 482 Visa Processing Times 

The transition to the SID Visa has also extended processing times for TSS 482 Visas (applications made before 7 December 2024).

As you can see, current processing times for TSS 482 Visas (Short Term and Medium Term Streams) indicate that:

• 90% of applications are processed within 9 months for both the Short and Medium Term Streams

This is a significant increase from the 0 – 80 day benchmark for 90% of TSS 482 Visas that was in place on 2 September 2023 before the program transitioned to the SID Visa.

Why are some 482 Visa applicants still waiting for a visa decision?

Some TSS 482 Visa applicants are still waiting for a visa outcome despite having applied before 7 December 2024, which is understandably frustrating for those affected.

Notable immigration commentator, Abul Rizvi believes the 482 Visa processing delays were inevitable due to an increase in demand for skilled overseas workers since 2022, as seen in lodgement figures.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, “In 2023-24, lodgements by primary visa applicants increased by 36% from 2022-23. The 45,941 lodgements in the first half of the 2024-25 program year, equating to 72% of all lodgements for 2023-24, demonstrates this high level of demand for skilled overseas workers continues.”

Mr Rizvi believes the Department should not have committed to the rapid processing times for the Skills in Demand Visa without a much larger increase in resources.

Other factors that Mr Rizvi identifies as contributing to the delays include:

• A rapidly rising backlog of skilled temporary visas, highlighted by the number of onshore applicants in the bridging visa backlog – increasing from 3,038 in September 2023 to 24,003 in December 2024.
• A strong onshore 482 Visa application rate due to a reduced work experience requirement (one year instead of two years), concessions for various industries and regional work, and the volume (over 200,000) of temporary graduates in Australia seeking to extend their stay. A record number of skilled temporary entrants are currently in Australia – increasing from 90,737 at the end of 2021 to 204,812 at the end of March 2025.

Mr Rizvi also noted that shorter 482 Visa processing times could increase Net Overseas Migration (the number of people in Australia at any given time), which the Government aims to reduce to ease housing and infrastructure pressures.

How is the Government planning to reduce processing times for TSS and SID 482 Visas?

The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) met with the Department of Home Affairs on 21 May 2025 and identified that:

• Department resources have been redirected to finalise TSS Visas as a priority.
• The Department has made a 60% reduction in on-hand TSS Visa applications since December 2024.
• Subclass 482 applications have increased by 44% each year in recent years.
• Once processing for TSS Visas is finalised, the Department will reallocate resources to improving processing times for Subclass 482 SID Visas, to better align with the program’s rapid service standards.
• The Department claims service standards are being met for Subclass 482 SID Visa applications that are ‘decision-ready’ – for example, applications that are complete and do not require further information.

At a Stakeholder Meeting with the Department of Home Affairs in February 2025, the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) highlighted issues of inequity in visa processing.

At that time, issues were raised that senior level executives had been stuck in TSS Visa queues, while applicants for the Specialist Skills Stream for the SID Visa had been processed more quickly. The Government has said it had taken these issues on notice.

Will the Government escalate requests for applications within the extended ‘standard processing times’?

Based on our team’s experience and other migration agents in the MIA, the Department of Home Affairs will not action escalation requests to fast-track visa applications that are still within the ‘Standard Processing Timeframes’.

To view current ‘Standard Processing Timeframes,’ you can refer to the timeframes provided on the Government website linked here. The Department of Home Affairs provides current processing times for 50% and 90% of visa applications as a guideline.

After selecting the ‘Application Date’, the arrow indicator will show whether the application is ‘Within the Standard Processing Timeframe’ or ‘Outside Standard Processing Timeframe’ (in orange) and given an indication of how long processing may take. This is based on how long it has taken the Government to process recently finalised applications but does not guarantee that an application will be finalised within the timeframe.

Unless an application falls in the ‘Outside Standard Processing Timeframe’ it is not likely that the Department of Home Affairs will escalate a request to fast-track the application.

This unfortunately means some applicants may be facing much longer than usual processing times. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Interstaff | Strategic Immigration for Business

Processing times can impact Australia’s ability to attract skilled migrants. One of the main reasons the Skills In Demand 482 Visa was established was to help Australia’s labour market remain competitive with the fast processing of other countries’ immigration programs for attracting global talent.

These concerns were echoed by Australian Industry Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, who stated to The Australian newspaper, “We recognise that significant efforts have been made to improve processing times but with skilled labour in short supply globally, we cannot afford to lose in demand workers to other jurisdictions who are also desperate for skilled workers. We can’t afford to let processing times slip and risk losing the skills we need.”

Established in 1988, Interstaff has over 35 years of Australian visa and migration experience and provides strategic immigration advice to businesses and individuals Australia-wide and internationally. MARN: 0533879.