Australian visa outcomes for citizens from South Africa

How does the Department of Home Affairs treat visa applications from South Africa? See real processing times, approval rates, and what your citizenship means for your application.

Your country score

59

/ 100

Medium risk

Compared against 173 countriesHow is this calculated?

How fast are applications processed?About average speedRanked #87 of 173 countries

What are the approval odds?93% of applications are approvedGlobal average: 92%About as likely as the global average

How many people from South Africa apply?

Very high volume

Ranked #18 of 173 countries (90th percentile)

What this means for you

Applications from your country take about the same time as most other nationalities.

Approval rates for your country are higher than most.

You'll need strong, consistent evidence and careful preparation to give yourself the best chance.

A well-prepared application can still succeed. We've helped many applicants from higher-risk countries get approved by focusing on what case officers actually look for.

Which visa do South Africa passport holders need?

Visiting AustraliaSouth Africa passport holders apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), for tourism, family visits, or business.

Government charge: from AUD $250. Tern prepares and submits it for AUD $160.

Looking for a partner, student, or skilled visa instead? See all Australian visas

Get your personalised estimate

Processing times vary significantly based on your citizenship and location. Find out what the wait really looks like for someone like you.

Free. Based on FOI data from 4.5 million visa decisions.

How your citizenship affects Australian visa outcomes

Why your nationality matters

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.

Understanding the country score

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.

Where this data comes from

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.

What this means for South Africa citizens

With a country score of 59, applicants from South Africa experience average outcomes compared to other nationalities. Processing times are about the same than average compared to other countries applying for the same visa types. The approval rate for South Africa is 93%, which is 1% higher than the global average.

Compare other countries

Curious how other nationalities are treated? Use our Country Risk tool to explore visa outcomes for any country.

Want to understand this better?

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.