How long does the 491 visa take right now? Most applicants get their grant in 10–14 months.

Based on 7 grants reported by the community, half of subclass 491 applicants get their grant within 9m 16d of lodgement, and 75% within 14m 3d.

The fastest reported subclass 491 grant took 5m 14d from lodgement to grant; the slowest took 16m 22d.

Yes — processing queues differ. Community medians: Priority sectors: 7m 19d · Onshore • Standard: 11m 20d.

Ministerial Direction 122 commenced on 19 September 2026 and replaced Direction 119. Applications are processed in four tiers: (1) priority sectors — construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture/aquaculture/fishing, resources, and law enforcement/defence — regardless of where the applicant lives; (2) all other applicants who were in Australia when they applied; (3) offshore applicants whose application is not combined with family members; (4) all other offshore applicants. Home Affairs warns that processing dates may fluctuate or move backwards while applications are reprioritised during the transition.

Every data point is a visa timeline reported by a real applicant in the Skilled Visa Tracker app. These are community-sourced estimates, not migration advice, and are not affiliated with the Department of Home Affairs.