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Employer Nomination Scheme visa (186) - Direct Entry stream
Check estimated processing times for the Australian Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186) - Direct Entry stream. Based on data from 4.5 million visa decisions obtained from the Department of Home Affairs via FOI.Your estimated processing time
21 months
Typical processing timeOctober 2026
25% decided within15 months
75% decided within25 months
90% decided within25 months
Employer Nomination Scheme visa processing times by nationality
How long the Employer Nomination Scheme visa takes can vary depending on your passport, based on real decided applications: choose a nationality below for the full breakdown.| Nationality | Outside Australia | In Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 6 months | 12 months |
| India | 6 months | 26 months |
| Ireland | 6 months | 10 months |
| Philippines | 6 months | 10 months |
| United Kingdom | 6 months | 12 months |
| United States of America | 6 months | 26 months |
| Pakistan | 8 months | 18 months |
| South Africa | 8 months | 10 months |
| Sri Lanka | 8 months | 14 months |
| Zimbabwe | – | 8 months |
| Brazil | – | 12 months |
| France | – | 12 months |
| Islamic Republic of Iran | – | 12 months |
| Italy | – | 12 months |
| South Korea | – | 12 months |
| Nepal | – | 12 months |
| People's Republic of China | 16 months | 28 months |
| Colombia | – | 16 months |
| Malaysia | – | 26 months |
| Vietnam | – | 30 months |
About Employer Nomination Scheme visa processing times
About this data
The times shown above are monthly averages for the Employer Nomination Scheme visa, aggregated across all applicants. Your actual processing time may differ significantly based on your citizenship and where you apply from.Where this data comes from
This data is derived from approximately 4.5 million visa grants obtained from the Department of Home Affairs via Freedom of Information request (Reference: DA25/10/00449), covering July 2024 to September 2025. View the released document.Methodology
Processing times shown are monthly averages for this visa subclass and stream, aggregated across all countries and application locations.Times are presented as percentiles (25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) showing what proportion of applicants received decisions within each timeframe.Data is updated monthly when new information becomes available from the Department of Home Affairs.