The Department of Home Affairs doesn't treat all applications equally. Your country of citizenship affects both how long you'll wait and how likely you are to be approved. This isn't random. It reflects historical compliance rates, the volume of applications from each country, and how complex it is to verify documents and claims.
The country score ranks your citizenship against all other nationalities based on two factors: processing speed and approval rates. Approval rates are weighted more heavily because that's ultimately what matters most. Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores meaning faster processing and better approval odds compared to other countries.
Our reports are based exclusively on official government data obtained through Freedom of Information requests to the Australian Department of Home Affairs: visa refusal rates (FOI Reference DA24/02/00115) and processing times (FOI Reference DA25/10/00449). We calibrate this data monthly against the Department's published processing times to keep it current.
Curious how other nationalities are treated? Use our Country Risk tool to explore visa outcomes for any country.
For a deep dive into how country risk works, what the Department considers, and how nationality affects your visa journey, read our comprehensive guide to country risk.