UPDATE ON THE PROCESSING TIMES FOR VISA SUBCLASS 188/888 - MAY 3, 2024

After the submission of Petition EN5856 to the Australian House of Representatives regarding the prolonged delays in processing applications for the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) on January 16, 2024, with 520 signatures, the petition was presented to the Australian House of Representatives on March 18, 2024, and subsequently forwarded to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs. The Minister will have 90 days to respond from the date the petition was presented to the House of Representatives.

Although the Minister has not yet provided an official response, we have observed significant positive changes in the processing times for subclass 188 visa applications, indicating a considerable acceleration in the approval process. Some of our clients have received requests for more information (RFIs) and successfully obtained their subclass 188 visas after a long waiting period.

This is truly encouraging news for our clients and marks an important step in the subclass 188 visa application process. We would like to share recent updates on some of the client cases we have received feedback from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

1/ Visa Subclass 188A:

🔸 Mr. P: Lodged on May 17, 2021 - granted subclass 188A visa on April 2, 2024

🔸 Ms. T: Lodged on May 21, 2021 - received RFI on March 15, 2024

🔸 Ms. D: Lodged on May 27, 2021 - received RFI on March 19, 2024

🔸 Ms. N: Lodged on May 27, 2021 - received RFI on March 19, 2024

🔸 Ms. V: Lodged on June 17, 2021 - received RFI on March 26, 2024

🔸 Ms. N: Lodged on October 26, 2021 - received RFI on March 8, 2024

2/ However, for subclass 188B and 188C visa applications lodged since May 2021, no requests for additional information have been received from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

3/ Additionally, we also submitted Petition EN4999 with over 1322 signatures to the Australian Parliament on March 28, 2023, urging the Government to review the processing times for the subclass 888 permanent residency visa. As a result, there has been a significant acceleration in the processing of subclass 888 visa applications. We would like to share recent updates on some of the client cases we have received feedback from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Visa Subclass 888A:

🔸 Ms. N: Lodged on May 21, 2021 - granted subclass 888A visa on September 15, 2023

🔸 Mr. P: Lodged on August 10, 2020 - granted visa on October 10, 2023

🔸 Mr. N: Lodged on January 12, 2022 - granted visa on December 8, 2023

🔸 Mr. N: Lodged on January 22, 2021 - granted subclass 888A visa on December 22, 2023

🔸 Ms. T: Lodged on May 6, 2021 - granted visa on January 23, 2024

🔸 Mr. P: Lodged on May 16, 2023 - granted visa on February 12, 2024

🔸 Ms. L: Lodged on September 16, 2022 - granted visa on March 28, 2024

🔸 Mr. D: Lodged on June 1, 2022 - received RFI on October 19, 2023

🔸 Mr. N: Lodged on October 6, 2023 - received RFI on November 21, 2023

🔸 Ms. L: Lodged on January 17, 2024 - received RFI on February 1, 2024

Visa Subclass 888B:

🔸 Ms. T: Lodged on September 3, 2021 - granted visa on November 17, 2023

🔸 Ms. Ph: Lodged on March 2, 2022 - granted visa on January 22, 2024

🔸 Ms. N: Lodged on November 17, 2023 - received RFI on April 24, 2024

Visa Subclass 888C:

🔸 Ms. T: Lodged on April 19, 2023 - granted visa on January 2, 2024

We hope these updates provide useful information for everyone. Progress is being made, and it's a positive sign that we can all remain optimistic! We wish everyone swift visa approvals, marking the beginning of a successful and happy journey towards settling in Australia.