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Skilled Work Regional visa (491)
Check estimated processing times for the Australian Skilled Work Regional visa (Subclass 491). Based on data from 4.5 million visa decisions obtained from the Department of Home Affairs via FOI.Your estimated processing time
5 months
Typical processing timeOctober 2026
25% decided within4 months
75% decided within16 months
90% decided within18 months
Skilled Work Regional visa processing times by nationality
How long the Skilled Work Regional 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 |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 38 days | 6 months |
| United Kingdom | 4 months | 6 months |
| Philippines | 10 months | 8 months |
| Nigeria | 11 months | 8 months |
| People's Republic of China | 9 months | 9 months |
| Nepal | 9 months | 9 months |
| Sri Lanka | 9 months | 9 months |
| Vietnam | 9 months | 9 months |
| Bhutan | – | 9 months |
| Bangladesh | 9 months | 9 months |
| Egypt | 9 months | – |
| India | 9 months | 9 months |
| Islamic Republic of Iran | 9 months | – |
| Pakistan | 10 months | 9 months |
About Skilled Work Regional visa processing times
About this data
The times shown above are monthly averages for the Skilled Work Regional 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.