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Skills in Demand visa (482) - Specialist Skills stream processing time from People's Republic of China
Processing times for People's Republic of China passport holders applying for the Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482), based on real decided applications.Data: September 2026
Applying from outside Australia (offshore)
20 days
Median for People's Republic of China applicants: half decided faster, half slower.25% decided within9 days
75% decided within48 days
90% decided within4 months
Applying from inside Australia (onshore)
24 days
Median for People's Republic of China applicants: half decided faster, half slower.25% decided within11 days
75% decided within40 days
90% decided within3 months
Applications from People's Republic of China take about 5 days longer than the all-nationality median for the Skills in Demand visa.People's Republic of China ranks #19 of 21 countries for Skills in Demand visa processing speed.
About Skills in Demand visa processing times for People's Republic of China
Why processing times vary by nationality
Every Skills in Demand visa application goes through the same process, regardless of nationality. What varies between countries is verification workload: how many supporting documents typically need checking, how quickly a country's civil and identity documents can be verified, and how many People's Republic of China applications the Department is processing at any given time.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
Each figure is built from decided Skills in Demand visa applications by People's Republic of China passport holders, shown separately for people applying from inside and outside Australia.Percentiles (25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) show how long it took for that share of applicants to be decided. The 50th is the median: half were decided faster, half slower.The spread of times comes from the Department of Home Affairs FOI data. It is then adjusted to today's pace using the Department's latest published processing times for this visa.A page appears only when there are at least 100 decided applications behind it. Nationalities with fewer are estimated in the Visa Time Checker.
Compare with the Department's figures
These figures are specific to People's Republic of China passport holders. For the Department's own published times across all nationalities, see its global visa processing times page.Check other visa types
Looking for a different visa? Use our visa processing time checker to see estimates for any Australian visa type.Common questions
How long does the Skills in Demand visa take from People's Republic of China?
As of September 2026, the median processing time for the Skills in Demand visa for People's Republic of China passport holders is 20 days, meaning half of applications are decided within that time and half take longer. This is based on real Department of Home Affairs data, but it's indicative only, not a guarantee for any individual application.
Can my application be processed faster than the median?
Yes. The figures on this page are medians and percentiles across many applications, not a fixed timeline. Individual cases move faster or slower depending on how complete the application is, whether extra checks or documents are needed, and current volumes at the Department. A complete, error-checked application removes one of the most common causes of delay.
Where does this processing time data come from?
This data comes from a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Home Affairs, covering about 4.5 million visa grants between July 2024 and September 2025. We update these figures monthly as the Department publishes new processing time data.
Does applying through Tern make my Skills in Demand visa faster?
No visa processor, including Tern, can make the Department decide faster. What we control is the quality of your application: checked before submission, so it isn't delayed by an avoidable error or missing document. On eligible visas, we also commit to a grant-by date upfront.