Australian Visa & Migration numbers so far in 2025

On February 13, 2025, the Department of Home Affairs held its quarterly stakeholder meeting, offering valuable updates on various visa streams and immigration processes. Here’s a summary of the major takeaways:

SID/NIV Visas

The Skills in Demand program has experienced substantial uptake, with 19,500 applications lodged since December 2024. Initially, processing times were 7 days for the Core Skills Stream and 21 days for the Specialist Skills Stream. However, recent updates show extended processing times of 30-47 days for the Core Skills Stream and 9-39 days for the Specialist Skills Stream.

TSS 482 visa applications still have long processing times of 61-180 days, despite a reported 30% reduction in backlog since December. Some TSS 482 applicants have been waiting for almost 10 months without an outcome.

The National Innovation Visa program has attracted 1,800 Expressions of Interest, but only 10 applications have progressed to approval. This highlights the stringent criteria for exceptional and outstanding achievements, making it a less feasible option for previous Global Talent EOI applicants.

Skilled Visa Program Updates

Recent cancellations of qualifications and RTOs by ASQA have impacted some visa holders and applicants. While the Department reports only a small number of affected cases, this highlights the importance of qualification verification.

Family Visa Updates

Family visa processing has improved, with partner visa processing 32% ahead compared to last year. As of February 7, 2025, 13,000 partner visas were granted. The Department has been sending correspondence to partner visa applicants with delayed processing, indicating that their applications have started to be assessed.

However, the parent visa backlog remains substantial, with processing times of 14 years for Contributory Parent visas and 31 years for Parent/Aged Parent visas.

For more click here.

Source:
Gilton Valeo Lawyers