Average Processing Times
Please note that the table below lists the average processing times for various types of Australian visa and citizenship applications in Pretoria. The average processing times show the standard this office aims to achieve with a majority of its applications.
The processing times apply from the date that a valid and complete visa application is received by the Australian High Commission. This does not include the time an application is with VFS Global before it is received by the Australian High Commission. The average processing times also do not include any periods that a visa application is held by your travel agent or visa application lodgement agent before it is submitted to the Australian High Commission.
The average processing times are indicative only and do not guarantee an application will be finalised within these timeframes.
Actual processing times may fluctuate or change due to a number of factors, including:
- workload demands and identified workload priorities
- student processing peaks from December to February and from May to July, leading to delays in the processing of applications in other temporary visa subclasses due to these peaks
- resourcing constraints, staff travel and absences
- applicants lodging applications from countries outside South Africa, where interviewing or integrity checking may be required (of particular relevance to West Africa)
- health or character matters which must be resolved prior to an application being finalised
- lodging of incomplete applications or delays in applicants responding to requests for additional/outstanding information/documentation can also cause delays in the finalisation of an application
Pretoria average processing times
| Subclass | Name | Average Processing Time for a Valid and Complete Application |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor (Tourist and Business) and Transit Visas | ||
| 6761 | Tourist | 10 working days |
| 4561 | Business (Short Stay) | 5 working days |
| 6751 | Medical Treatment (Short Stay) | 2 weeks |
| 6851 | Medical Treatment (Long Stay) | 2 weeks |
| 976 | ETA (Visitor) | 1 working day |
| 977 | ETA (Business – Short Validity) | 1 working day |
| 956 | ETA (Business – Long Validity) | 1 working day |
| 7711 | Transit | 10 working days |
| 1Note: Applications from West Africa (including Nigeria) take approximately 20 working days | ||
| Temporary Residence | ||
| 410 | Retirement | 8 weeks |
| 411 | Exchange | 4 weeks |
| 417 | Working Holiday | 4 weeks |
| 418 | Education | 4 weeks |
| 419 | Visiting Academic | 4 weeks |
| 421 | Sport | 4 weeks |
| 425 | Family relationship | 4 weeks |
| 428 | Religious worker | 4 weeks |
| 430 | Supported dependent | 4 weeks |
| 442 | Occupational trainee | 4 weeks |
| 570 to 580 | Student and Student Guardian | 8 weeks |
| Partner Migration* | ||
| 309/100 | Partner | 3 to 6 months |
| 309/100 | Spouse (lodged prior to 1 July 2009) | 3 to 6 months |
| 310/110 | Interdependent (lodged prior to 1 July 2009) | 3 to 6 months |
| 300 | Prospective Marriage | 3 to 6 months |
| Child Migration* | ||
| 101 | Child | 3 months |
| 102 | Adoption | 3 months |
| 117 | Orphan Relative | 6 months |
| 445 | Dependent Child of a provisional visa holder | 3 months |
| Other Family Migration* | ||
| 114 | Aged Dependent Relative | 8 months |
| 115 | Remaining Relative | 8 months |
| 116 | Carer | 8 months |
| * Applications from West Africa across all family migration categories have an average processing time of 9 to 12 months | ||
| Resident Return Visas | ||
| 155 | Five Year Resident Return | 2 weeks |
| 157 | Three Month Resident Return | 2 weeks |
| 159 | Provisional Resident Return | 2 weeks |
| Citizenship | ||
| N/A | By descent (under age of 25) | 10 working days |
| N/A | All other situations (may need to be referred to Australia) | 8 weeks |
Enquiring on your application
Where possible, we will endeavour to answer your enquiries within seven working days from receipt of your message. However, please note that answering emails and telephone enquiries for applications lodged within these times, takes time away from assessing applications. For this reason, we may not be able to respond to all routine enquiries, such as requests for a progress report within usual processing times, or emails enquiring whether documents have been received. Please be kind enough to limit correspondence to emergencies, or notification of changes in circumstances