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What do the 25%, 50%, 75% and 90% visa processing times mean?
Short answer
Home Affairs publishes four figures per visa: the time within which 25%, 50%, 75% and 90% of recently decided applications were finalised. For example, on 9 November 2026 the 820 partner visa showed 50% within 21 months and 90% within 30 months: half of recent applications took 21 months or less, and nine in ten took 30 months or less.
Key facts
- The figures are percentiles of applications already decided in the reporting period, measured from lodgement to decision.
- The 90% figure is the usual answer to “how long will it take”; the 50% figure is the typical case.
- Because they describe past decisions, the figures lag behind changes in the queue and do not guarantee a time for any single application.
- Home Affairs revises the figures about once a month; the latest release was published 9 November 2026.
Checked against Home Affairs every day. Last checked 11 November 2026.
Cite this page
AusVisaClock. “What do the 25%, 50%, 75% and 90% visa processing times mean?.” Updated 9 November 2026. https://ausvisaclock.com/blog/what-do-visa-processing-time-percentiles-mean/
The figures come from the Department of Home Affairs. You may quote them with a link to this page.
Worked example
| Visa | 50% decided within | 75% | 90% decided within |
|---|---|---|---|
| 820 Partner visa | 21 months | 26 months | 30 months |
Turning percentiles into dates
Add each figure to your lodgement date to get the dates by which 25%, 50%, 75% and 90% of applications like yours were decided. Every visa page on AusVisaClock has an estimator that does this for you.