Australian High Commission

India

High Commission address: 1/50 G Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 - Telephone: 4139 9900 - Fax: 4149 4490

Family Migration Processing Times

Each year the Australian Government sets the Migration Program and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has a responsibility to ensure that the numbers of visas that are granted are in line with the planning levels that have been set. In recent program years the number of places allocated to the family migration program has been reduced. With application rates continuing to increase, processing times for partner and child visas are also increasing.

Contacting the High Commission

We are currently experiencing very high call and email volumes from migration clients and resources are being diverted from processing visa applications to deal with these enquiries. Please consider this and take into account the following points before contacting the Australian High Commission.

Please be assured that we are actively processing migration applications and aim to finalise as many applications as possible within service standards.

Processing Times

Applicants are encouraged to lodge complete applications using the Partner Visa Application Checklist.
Complete applications are likely to be finalised more quickly than incomplete applications.
The global service standard for partner visas is 12 months.
The New Delhi Visa Office is currently finalising partner visas in approximately 7 months.
This is not a formal service standard. It is only an indicative processing time.
Initial assessment of partner applications is being undertaken 12 weeks from the date of lodgement.
A case officer will be in contact with you following this assessment to update you on the progress of your application.
The visa office will not be able to give you a status update on your application before 12 weeks from the date of lodgement.

Applications Forwarded for Decision

If cases are assessed as meeting all requirements they are forwarded for final assessment and decision.
There are currently several hundred applications awaiting final assessment, so it can take some time before the final assessment is undetaken.
When an application reaches the point of final assessment, if nothing further is required, you will be notified of the decision at that time.
Most applications are decided within the indicative processing time of 7 months.

Complete Applications/Sending Documents

Applicants are encouraged to lodge complete applications using the Partner Visa Application Checklist.
Complete applications are likely to be finalised more quickly than incomplete applications.
Please ensure you send all additional documents requested by your case officer at the same time.
Sending documents separately will result in further delays to your application.The visa office will not always acknowledge receipt of additional documents immediately.

VFS delivers additional documents to the visa office in 24-48 hours.
You can also track your documents directly with your courier company or the post office if you do not use VFS.
You may wish to include a delivery or read receipt if sending additional documents by email to be satisfied your documents have been received.
Case officers will review these documents and if your application meets all the requirements, it will be forwarded for final assessment and decision, noting the current processing times.
After completing their assessment your case officer will contact you to request any further information that may be required, or to advise that your case has been forwarded for final assessment and decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about Family Migration can be found below:

See: Family Migration - Questions and Answers on Processing Times