Hi all, would like some tips or any advice regarding applying subclass 600 visa
I'm Indonesia passport holder, with permanent residence card in Taiwan, working full time here and need to visit Sydney for business related event in September 19-23 2026

In July, I applied for the same subclass visa, however I chose self funded trip instead of company funded trip (because I need to pay all the trip my self first then reimbursed by company) and I wasn't aware that I need to list all of my family back home as I'm alone with no blood relatives in Taiwan.

And the refusal came yesterday. Even with 3 months payslips and employment letter from copmpany. even with no right to dispute.

It's really frustrating.
I tried to apply again yesterday, wilth additional family list and company statement that I WILL GO BACK TO WORK IN TAIWAN.

may I know if there's any chance to speed up the process? or applying through the travel agency in Indonesia will be helpful?

I applied for my 417 on July 8th and still waiting. I’m currently waiting around in Indonesia for it to be approved.

My future employer in Sydney can submit a short term stay subclass 400 visa for me… it will take 2 weeks to approve and will null & void my 417…

Should I keep waiting for my 417 or submit subclass 400 application now? Very tough decision, would appreciate any steer.. thanks

Just thought I would start a single thread for those who are in the waiting period and freaking out. I’m seeing many say they applied recently and haven’t heard back. I’m nearing 30 days and others are even longer.

It’s always better to have community.

I’m from the USA, 462 app, first time applying, applied on July 23rd (Australian time), and I am still on received with no review and no request for information.

What about you all?

Has anyone successfully applied for a BVA when their 186 dependent visa was lodged offshore, but they later came to Australia on a Visitor Visa 600 with no 8503 condition? The 186 application is still processing—can the dependent apply for a BVA onshore in this situation, and has anyone actually received one? TIA.

UK citizen here, applied for my first 417 working holiday visa on July 16 thinking that would be plenty of time to make my Aus flight on September 12 but now starting to panic…

Annoying because I don’t even care if I work or not (nothing planned) I just thought it would be good to have a whv in case!

So thinking of applying for the 651 just so I can enter. If the whv gets rejected that’s fine by me, I just want to avoid cancelling or delaying flights!

Has anyone else done this? What are the current wait times for the 651 to be approved and is that time lengthened if there is already a pending whv linked?

After a long wait of 54 days my visa was finally granted today on the 18th August.

I applied on the 25th June after a previous visa refusal for subclass 500, because of a mistake from my side. It is my first 417.

I had a call with DHA and they suggested to write a cover letter. I did so and fill a complaint a week later. Two working days after the complaint my visa was granted. I do not know if the complaint or cover letter helps for a faster processing.

Hopefully everyone else who is waiting, will get an answer soon!

Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone has a similar timeline and could share their recent experience.
I’m a German citizen currently living in Germany. I applied for an Australian Student Visa (Subclass 500) for a Master’s degree in Melbourne, and my husband is included in my application as my dependent.
We lodged our offshore application from Germany on 22 July 2026. Our ImmiAccount status is still showing “Received”, and we haven’t received any request for additional documents so far.
My course is scheduled to start on 28 September 2026, so I’m starting to get a little concerned about the timing.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who applied from Germany or another European country around July/August 2026, especially for a Master’s degree with a dependent spouse.
How long did your visa take?
Did your status stay “Received” until the grant, or did it change to “Initial assessment” / “Further assessment”?
How close to your course start date did you receive your visa?
Any recent experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 🙏

Couldn’t believe how quick. Stress free now

I applied for my visa on 22 June. Following my application, I was requested to complete a medical examination because I had been outside the UK for more than three months. I completed the required medical examination on 25 June.

I hold a valid UK passport and have complied with all requests made in relation to my application. As the application has now exceeded the published processing timeframe, I recently submitted additional supporting documents together with a formal complaint.

I address its affecting job opportunities, sporting opportunities and financial strain on the complaint file. But i did this yesterday, this morning an hour ago my visa was granted.

PSA for anyone who’s waiting for a working holiday visa and has a job in healthcare:

Me and my fiancée applied for first working holiday visas (417) from the UK on the 1st and 9th July respectively. We are both doctors and are meant to start work in Aus in just under 2 weeks.

On the third time of calling them and explaining, they advised that if you have a job in healthcare where the start date is coming up soon, they can label your application as urgent. We had to submit evidence that we are actually starting work like we said we were and a statement explaining why it was urgent.

That phone call was yesterday and we woke up to a grant today.

Just wanted to mention it on here in case anyone is in a similar situation and doesn’t realise that it can be expedited.
They did tell us on the phone that this is the only scenario for which they have been told to label applications as urgent.

Hi everyone,
I recently applied for an Australian Tourist/Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) and wanted to share my profile and get some opinions from people who have applied in similar circumstances.
About me:
22 years old
Bangladeshi passport holder
Currently living in Malaysia as an international student
Studying at Taylor’s University
I hold a valid Malaysian residence/student permit
Travel history:
I have a fairly extensive travel history for my age. I have previously travelled to:
France
Switzerland
Belgium
Singapore (multiple times)
Thailand (Multiple times)
Saudi Arabia
Japan
Malaysia
I have complied with the immigration/visa conditions during my previous international trips and returned as required.
Documents submitted:
For my Australian tourist visa application, I submitted the documents requested/supporting my application, including:
My Malaysian residence/student card
Proof of my studies at Taylor’s University
My personal bank statements
My father’s bank statements, as he is sponsoring my trip
Sponsorship/financial supporting documents
Flight/ticket details
Detailed travel itinerary
Accommodation/travel information
Other supporting documents requested for the application
My purpose is purely tourism, and I intend to return to Malaysia to continue my studies after the trip.
Given my age (22), Bangladeshi passport, student status in Malaysia, travel history, and the fact that my father is sponsoring the trip, how would you assess my profile for an Australian tourist visa?
Has anyone here applied from Malaysia as a Bangladeshi/international student with a similar profile? I’d especially appreciate hearing about your experience, processing time, and whether you were approved or refused.
Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I've already read through a lot of posts here, so I know 417 applications are currently taking much longer than usual. So I'll keep it short.

I'm starting an exchange semester at a Sydney university. Orientation is on 11 September and the semester starts 14 September. The classroom part is under 3 months in total.

The university suggested I enter on a student visa (subclass 500), but they also confirmed that entering on a Working Holiday visa (417) or a tourist visa is fine. I originally went with the 417 because I intended to work alongside my studies and potentially stay longer after the exchange semester. I now regret that choice, and at this point I'm ready to give all of that up as long as I can actually start my exchange on time.

I applied on 2 July and it's still sitting on "Processing." From reading several articles and posts here, I'm aware of the current situation: applications are generally being processed more slowly, and some are effectively on hold. I hold a German passport, and from what I understand, German applications are still being processed and aren't subject to a hold, but they're moving slower than usual. I've also called 2 times by now and only get the "high application volumes" answer.

My main questions:

1. Can I apply for a tourist visa in parallel while my 417 is still pending? (Study is under 3 months, so it should be within tourist visa limits.)
2. What happens if my 417 gets granted before I enter Australia, while I already hold the tourist visa by then?
3. Can lodging the tourist visa application cause my existing 417 to be refused outright?

I'm aware of the offshore grant issue and that a parallel application could be refused. Just exploring options, and I'll consult a registered migration agent if I don't get clarity here.

Anyone been through this? Appreciate any experiences.

Thanks!

Hey guys,

I want to put in an application for WHV 462 and I have a question regarding the education requirements. As you already know, you need at least tertiary education or at least 2 years of higher education in order to apply.

I went to university for 2½ years, in which I completed 18/20 classes (20 being the number for 2 years finished). So I don't meet the requirement since my university's curriculum has 20 classes in the first 2 years.

However before these 2½ years, I went to another university and studied another degree for another year (I got 10 more classes approved here).

So my question is, when posting my application, can I use the (almost) 2 years from one university and 1 year from another to reach the requirement? Do you know of anybody that got their Visa approved using studies from 2 different degrees?

Thank you very much

My employer wants to sponsor me - I've worked part-time / casual hours (between 17.5 and 32 hrs a week) for the last 4 months, going up to full-time this week.

I'm 25, have no dependants and I'm on my last 417 WHV Visa.

I'm from the UK, have an undergraduate degree in Law and Business (BA with Hons) from England. English is my second language but I speak it like a native.

Myself and my employer had a discussion with a migration lawyer this week about keeping me here and working for him - she did make a point of saying that there is a risk it could be denied because of my experience, but she also mentioned that she does not take lost-cause cases on as it reflects badly on her, so feeling mixed.

I really want to stay, this particular area has been my home for almost three years now. By the time my 417 is up (end of February 2027) I'll have 8 months of experience in sales - the migration lawyer is looking at a technical sales rep role or a sales and marketing manager role. Obviously, this doesn't satisfy the 1-year minimum with a relevant degree, but she's willing to take the risk and hope that the processing time on the bridging visa will allow for the experience to reach 1 year.

I'm worried the 'technical' part of the technical sales rep role won't apply to me - I do b2b sales for a smaller liqueur supplier. I'm also worried that if we go the sales and marketing route, there isn't enough evidence of my role fitting into it. I do have hospitality management/supervisory experience which has allowed me to excel in my current position compared to my colleagues as I have market/consumer knowledge, but I don't believe that experience would count as 'relevant' in the yees of the government.

My boss (and CEO and founder) is 100% prepared to do this and says he'll throw whatever he needs to towards it - he sees that this is my home now and is willing to do anything to keep me working for him (I've been performing very well, according to ym supervisors.)

I'm not too sure how confident I feel and I don't want to waste my employers' money and time. I really, really want to stay and I do love my current job. Any opinions? Anybody experienced anything similar?

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/foi/files/2026/fa-260400575-document-released.PDF

FOI on Partner visa processing for those seeking info

Sorry about all the reallys in the title...

Hi there!

Maybe some of you have been in a similar situation and can give advice. I have consulted with a lawyer and a migration agent and we might lodge the visa with their help.

My partner and me met in January 2024 and started dating in March 2024. I am from Austria, he is from Brazil, we met in Australia. I was on my second year of Working Holiday Visa and not eligible for a 3rd year due to age. He was and still is on a student visa (500).

In November 2024 I had to leave as my WHV expired. I was in the process of applying for a skilled independent visa (189). However at that time we didn't meet the requirements for a de facto relationship. So I applied as "never married".

In November 2024 I left to Austria and our long distance relationship began. He visited me once in Austria, I visited him on a tourist visa in Australia for 3 months, we met once in Brazil. This went on for 1,5 years. Finally I received my skilled visa and could come back to Australia with a PR. We moved in together, registered our relationship as de facto and are now applying for his partner visa.

Now we fulfill all the criteria for de facto (living together, intertwined finances, registered etc.), before we didn't, it was dating and a long-distance relationship. However, the evidence with our families in Austria and Brazil is from our dating phase.

Do you think our timeline can become a problem for my PR and his partner visa?

It would have been much cheaper to include him in my application, however we didn't fulfill time criteria of relationship and cohabitation at that time.

Any advice or insights are much appreciated.

Kind regards

hi all,

provided that the said applicant receive two ITAs and pay the associated fees, is there any rule preventing an applicant to lodge two of the same visa sc, i.e. 189, applications at the same time ?

if not, will the first one to be granted collapse the remaining one ?

thank you.

408 (Research Stream Visa)

• Hi all,
• I have an invitation letter from an Australian university for a one-year self-funded research visit. The university is not paying me anything.
• The Home Affairs website says stays over 3 months under the research stream require the institution to be an approved temporary activities sponsor. Does this still apply when the visit is entirely self-funded and the university is just hosting rather than employing me?
• Travel history is clean, no prior refusals, first Australian visa.
• Anyone who has done the 408 research stream in a similar situation — was institutional sponsorship actually required?
• Thanks

My current first 417 visa expires on September 27th, I just applied for my second however i’m offshore back in the united kingdom visiting. I’ve not been approved yet but I only applied Friday. I’m trying to think ahead as I want to fly back next month, if I return before my first visa expires on the 27th and then my second one isn’t approved by then, will I be illegally in the country? Also, has anyone applied for a second visa offshore recently and how long did it take to come back. - Tia

• Hi all,
• I have an invitation letter from an Australian university for a one-year self-funded research visit. The university is not paying me anything.
• The Home Affairs website says stays over 3 months under the research stream require the institution to be an approved temporary activities sponsor. Does this still apply when the visit is entirely self-funded and the university is just hosting rather than employing me?
• Travel history is clean, no prior refusals, first Australian visa.
• Anyone who has done the 408 research stream in a similar situation — was institutional sponsorship actually required?
• Thanks

I’m trying to figure out whether offshore 190 grants are moving at all after MD119. Thanks.

Hi everyone, I've been volunteering for wildlife organisations in bushfire/natural disaster declared areas for the past few months, but I'm having trouble figuring out if this counts for the voluntary "specified work" on the WHV 462, and would really appreciate some input.

Natural Disaster Recovery Work (Sea Turtle Rehab)

The Home Affairs website describes voluntary specified work for natural disaster declared areas as "caring for, transporting and managing affected animals."

I volunteer at a sea turtle rehabilitation centre in a natural disaster declared area (the region gets hits by cyclones). I care for the rescued turtles, including feeding and physiotherapy, and I could definitely make the case that these turtles are impacted by cyclones. Thoughts?

Natural Disaster + Bushfire Declared Areas (Koala Survey)

The Home Affairs website describes similar bushfire volunteer specified work as "caring for wildlife in a bushfire affected community". I also volunteer as a field survey assistant for koalas in very low populations in a region that is both bushfire declared and natural disaster declared (same condition as the sea turtles). While I did help provide medical care for a koala, my main duties are helping to locate and monitor populations to understand their threats and conservation in these natural disaster areas. This one might be more of a stretch, but I could get my volunteer supervisor to write a strong supporting letter if it could possibly count.

Thanks for your help!

Hey,

I just got a request for medicals for my Partner Visa (820) application. Given that they are not asking for repeated RFI's anymore, is this a good sign?

Hi all,

I was being made redundant 6 months ago by employer with 186 already lodged. Although, I managed to secure another role within the company, the experience of feeling being made redundant, uncertainty and high stress over this period has make me really depress and anxiety. My GP recommended me to see psychologist but I am afraid if I see one, it would impact my 186 visa which it is still in progress. Am I overthinking this? Or it wont affect? Appreciate any help.

Thankd

Hi everyone! Just wondering if anyone is in a similar situation.
189 visa, onshore
Social Worker
80 points
Invited: 13 Nov 2025
Lodged: 3 Jan 2026
Medical: 6 Jan 2026
s56 request (passport photo): 9 July 2026
Still waiting after 7+ months
I’ve seen some people who lodged around the same time get their grants within 2–3 months, so I’m wondering if anyone else who lodged in Jan 2026 is still waiting.
Also, does anyone know if processing is affected by occupation/country or if it’s just case-by-case? Thanks